■ 


C*-^—, 


~J^p  ^6. 


Qd-r^  </< 


THE    STORY 


OF      THE 


Irish  in  Bosto: 


TOGETHER    WITH 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    OF    REPRESENTATIVE    MEN 

AND    NOTED    WOMEN 


Edited  and  Compiled  by 

\ 

JAMES     BERNARD      CULLEN 


ILLUSTRATED 


} 


BOSTOTS   COL^ 

CHE^foPSTON 
JAMES    B.    CULLEN    &    COMPANY 
1890 


J 


Copyright,  1S89, 
By  JAMES    B.    CULLEN    &    COMPANY. 


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155181 


prkss  or 

&o:kfoell  antJ  ®i)urcf)iU 

BOSTON 


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CupjrigUt,  18t9,  bj  James  B.  Cullon  &  Co 


INTRODUCTION. 


THE  purpose  of  this  work  is  to  give  an  account  of  the  settlement, 
progress,  and  development  of  the  Irish  and  their  descendants 
in  Boston,  from  the  earliest  times. 

The  propriety,  expediency,  and  necessity  of  presenting  the 
subject  was  conceived  by  the  author  ten  years  ago,  while  engaged  in 
preparing  an  article  for  the  Boston  "  Pilot,"  relating  to  the  Irishmen 
of  Boston.  The  work  then  seemed  to  be  impracticable,  by  reason 
of  the  complex  character  of  unpublished  historical  data,  the  long 
period  of  time  that  would  be  required  to  unravel  the  skein  and 
weave  the  story  together. 

Within  a  few  years  the  labor  of  examining  various  histories 
and  collecting  manuscripts  of  invaluable  interest  and  worth  was 
commenced.  The  researches  in  this  direction  revealed  many  sur- 
prising events  in  the  colonial,  as  well  as  in  the  more  recent  history  of 
Boston,  wherein  Irishmen  were  active  participants ;  and,  strange  to 
say,  where  the  importance  of  their  achievements  is  mentioned  at  all, 
or  they  themselves  are  written  about,  the  most  meagre  information 
is  given. 

By  careful  study  and  recourse  to  comparative  references  many 
facts,  hitherto  generally  unknown,  were  brought  to  light. 

An  examination  of  the  table  of  comparative  statistics  shows  an 
unequalled  record  of  immigration  to  Boston,  to  the  credit  of  the  Iri 
nation.    Nor  were  all  the  early  Irish  settlers  here  "  hewers  of  wood  anc 
drawers  of  water."     Amongst  the  dignified  professional,  mercantile,1 


^ohn  Cogan,  of  the  County  Cork,  Ireland,  was  the  father  of  mercantile  life  in  Boston. 
He  was  the  first  to  open  a  store  on  the  north-east  corner  of  Washington  and  State  streets. 
His  house  stood  on  the  north-west  corner  of  Tremont  and  Beacon  streets.  In  1635 
Nathaniel  Hancock  came  from  Ireland,  and  settled  in  Newtown  (now  Cambridge,  Mass.). 
He  died  in  Cambridge,  in  1652.     See  Holmes'  Annals. 

(in) 


IV  INTRODUCTION. 

and  commercial l  men  of  the  time  stood  the  self-reliant  and  brainy 
Irishman. 

In  1634  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  granted  lands  to 
Irish  and  Scotch  gentlemen  on  the  Merrimac  river,  now  Newbury- 
port.2  The  successive  communities  from  the  old  Puritan  days  have 
realized  the  good  and  useful  deeds  of  the  Irish  in  this  city,  whose 
unswerving  fidelity  and  loyalty  to  Boston,  old  and  new,  remain 
unsurpassed. 

Their  love  of  liberty,  their,  hatred  of  oppression,  their  valor  and 
heroism  in  the  War  for  Independence,  when  remembered,  should  sink 
so  deep  in  the  hearts  of  their  fellow-citizens  as  to  fraternize  them 
forever.  When  lovely  Peace  had  spread  her  white  pinions  over  the 
land,  Irishmen  wended  their  way  to  the  farm,  the  workshop,  and  the 
mill. 

Their  adaptability  and  loyal  adherence  at  all  times  to  the 
strange  and  newly  constructed  government  which  followed  the 
Revolution,  and  their  observance  of  the  stranger  laws  and  customs 
then  introduced,  are  as  characteristic  of  them  as  their  love  of 
industry,  thrift,  and  success. 

Once  in  this  free  country,  they  guarded  her  interests,  of  which 
theirs  formed  an  integral  part,  jealously,  carefully,  valiantly. 

The  Irish  soldier  of  Boston  engaged  in  the  successive  wars  that 
followed  the  Revolution,  and  the  reader  has  but  to  turn  to  the  pages 
of  history  to  find  him  fighting  and  dying  on  the  altar  of  liberty  in 
its  defence.     Scrutinize  the  regimental  history  of  the  Union  armies : 

'A.D.  1636,  mo.  3,  15.  "Here  arrived  a  ship  called  the  'St.  Patrick,'  belonging  to 
^jr  Thomas  Wentworth,  Deputy  of  Ireland,  one  Palmer,  Master.  When  she  came  near 
j^Ue  Island  the  Lieutenant  of  the  fort  went  aboard  her,  and  made  her  strike  her  flag, 
cu'hich  the  master  took  as  great  injury,  and  complained  of  it  to  the  magistrates;  who 
calling  the  Lieutenant  before  them,  heard  the  cause,  and  declared  to  the  master,  that 
he  had  no  commission  so  to  do.  And  because  he  had  made  them  strike  to  the  fort 
(which  had  then  no  colors  aboard)  they  tendered  the  master  such  satisfaction  as  he 
desired,  which  was  only  this,  that  the  Lieutenant  aboard  their  ship  should  acknowledge  his 
error,  that  so  all  the  ships  company  might  receive  satisfaction  lest  the  deputy  should  have 
been  informed  that  he  had  offered  that  discourtesy  to  his  ship,  which  he  had  never  offered 
to  any  before."  —  "  Winfhrop's  Journal,"  p.  100,  Vol.  i. 

2  See  Records  of  General  Court,  Vol.  i.,  p.  28. 


INTRODUCTION.  V 

Where  will  we  find  the  Union  soldiers,  foreign  or  native  born,  nearer 
the  breastworks  of  the  enemy  than  those  who  wore  the  sprig  of 
green  ? 

Generations  of  Irishmen  have  made  their  home  in  Boston. 
They  and  their  descendants  have  inwrought  their  work  on  the 
various  departments  of  municipal  life.  Where  is  it  recorded?  Have 
we  an  Irish  Historical  Society  in  Boston  to  preserve  the  history  and 
lives  of  our  people? 

In  this  respect  there  has  been  a  void  in  the  literature  of  Boston. 
The  original  design  of  this  work  was  draughted  on  a  much  smaller 
scale ;  but,  by  the  advice  of  many  persons  eminent  in  letters  and 
public  life,  it  was  enlarged. 

The  subject  is  presented  in  two  parts  —  historical  and  bio- 
graphical. The  first  seven  historical  chapters  were  written  by  Mr. 
William  Taylor,  Jr. 

The  biographical  sketches  —  Distinguished  Men  of  Early  Times, 
Representative  Men  of  Our  Own  Times,  and  Noted  Women, — 
including  a  newly  written  sketch  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  Boston, 
Sketches  of  Men  in  Professional  and  Public  Life,  etc.,  were  written, 
and  in  some  instances  compiled,  by  the  author,  who  also  prepared 
the  table  of  contents,  in  a  way  to  make  it  interesting.  The  en- 
gravings were  made  especially  for  this  work. 

If  the  work  shall  lead  to  a  more  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
good  accomplished  by  the  Irish  in  Boston,  and  thereby  awaken 
a  fuller  appreciation  of  their  worth  as  citizens,  its  object  will  have 
been  attained. 

J.   B.    C. 

Boston,  Mass.,  February,  1889. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

The  Irish  in  the  colonial  period.  —  St.  Botolph's  town.  —  Pro-English  and  Anti-Irish 
feeling  among  the  colonists.  —  Irish  names  that  appear  in  Boston's  colonial  his- 
tory. —  Causes  of  Irish  emigration.  —  Religious  prejudice.  — The  authorities  extend 
an  invitation  to  the  New-England  colonists  to  settle  in  Ireland.  —  The  undesirable- 
ness  of  Ireland  as  a  home  at  that  time. — The  "Scotch-Irish."  —  Visits  of  the 
Puritans  to  Ireland.  —  American  colonists  of  Irish  descent.  —  Declaration  of  the 
citizens  of  the  town  on  the  Catholic  question.  —  Extracts  from  the  town  records 
of  Sept.  22,  1746.  —  "Pope's  night"  in  Boston.  —  Burning  the  Pope  in  effigy. 
—  Gen.  Washington  appears  on  the  scene.  —  He  reprimands  the  soldiers.  — 
The  Abbe  de  la  Poterie.  —  Irish  apostates.  —  Difference  in  race  between  the 
"  Scotch-Irish  "  and  the  Catholic-Irish.  —  The  Charitable  Irish  Society.  —  "  Of  the 
Irish  Nation." — The  Scots'  Charitable  Society.  —  A.D.  1636. — The  Brecks  of 
Dorchester.  —  A  numerous  and  distinguished  family.  —  An  unrecorded  deed.  — 
,"  Robert  Breck  of  Galway,  in  Ireland,  merchant."  —  Florence  Maccarty  in  Boston 
as  early  as  1 686.  —  Thaddeus  Maccarty  and  family.  —  Edward  Mortimer,  the 
-mathematician  and  volunteer  fireman.  —  Distinctively  Irish  names  which  appear 
in  the  register  of  births,  marriages,  and  deaths,  in  Boston,  from  1 630-1 700. — 
Under  Cromwell's  government  many  Irish  people  emigrate  to  New  England.  — 
On  their  arrival  they  are  sold  as  slaves.  —  The  reason  why.  —  In  1 654  the  ship 
"  Goodfellow  "  arrives  at  Boston  with  a  large  number  of  Irish  immigrants.  — 
What  Cotton  Mather  says.  —  The  petition  of  Ann  Glyn  and  Jane  Hunter,  spins- 
ters, lately  arrived  from  Dublin,  Ireland.  —  English  criminals  systematically  sold 
to  the  colonists.  —  Daring  pirates  kidnap  men  and  sell  them  to  Americans.  — 
The  brigantine  "  Bootle,"  Capt.  Robert  Boyd  commanding,  touches  Boston  in 
August,  1736.  —  The  selectmen  order  him  not  to  let  his  passengers  "  Come  on 
Shoar." II 

CHAPTER   II. 

The  Irish  witch.  —  The  belief  in  the  actual  existence  of  imps,  witches,  and  embodied 
devils.  —  The  defenders  of  the  belief  were  often  men  of  great  and  distinguished 
talents.  —  Eminent  counsel  and  learned  divines  gave  attendance  at  trials  of  sus- 
pected witches.  —  The  devil's  marks  "being  pricked  will  not  bleed."  —  Watching 
for  the  witch's  imp.  —  The  wise  magistrate.  —  Colonial  society  ajar,  and  seized 
by  the  devil-fear.  —  Mrs.  Ann  Hibbins  falls  a  victim  to  the  witch-hunter.  —  The 

1 


2  CONTENTS. 

TAGE 

fourth  victim. — The  Goodwin  family  suspected  of  witchcraft. — Gov.  Hutch- 
inson and  the  "Wild  Irish."  — The  ministers  appoint  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer 
with  the  Goodwin  family.  —  Goody  Glover  speaks  in  the  Gaelic  tongue  while  ren- 
dering her  testimony  in  court.  —  She  is  said  to  be  under  the  devil's  influence.  — 
Her  house  searched  while  she  is  on  trial.  —  What  was  found  there.  —  "  Two  honest 
men  "  act  as  her  interpreters.  —  She  is  sent  to  prison.  —  Cotton  Mather  visits  her 
twice  while  she  is  in  prison.  —  She  speaks  to  him  in  Irish.  —  Her  interpreters 
tell  him  that  the  Irish  word  for  "  spirits  "  is  the  same  as  for  "  saints." — A  witness 
testifies  to  having  seen  Goody  Glover  come  down  the  chimney.  —  Examined  by  the 
physicians.  —  Their  conclusion  is  that  poor  Goody  is  sane.  —  Sentenced  to  be 
hanged.  —  From  the  prison  to  the  gallows.  —  The  prophecy.  —  The  procession. — 
The  tumult. — Judge  Sewall  makes  an  entry  in  his  diary. — The  execution    .         .       25 

CHAPTER   III. 

The  Charitable  Irish  Society. — The  earliest  association  of  Irishmen  in  Boston. — 
Object,  aim,  and  scope  of  its  founders.  —  Extracts  from  the  records.  —  Early  mem- 
bers of  the  Society. — James  Mayer  and  Robert  Henry.  —  The  cautious  selectmen. 
—  The  law  of  the  province.  —  In  1722  John  Little  is  warned  by  the  selectmen  to 
"  depart  out  of  this  town."  —  John  remains  in  Boston.  —  Interesting  incidents  and 
anecdotes  about  other  early  members  of  the  Society.  —  Peter  Pelham,  painter  and 
engraver.  —  His  unsettled  life.  —  A  sketch  of  his  life  and  works.  —  He  marries  the 
widow  of  Richard  Copley. —  Squire  Singleton,  of  Ireland,  and  his  daughter. — 
"The  best  Virginia  Tobacco,  cut,  pigtail,  and  spun,  of  all  sorts  by  Wholesale  and 
Retail,  at  the  Cheapest  Rates." — A  sketch  of  John  Singleton  Copley.  —  The 
Auchmuty  family.  —  Capt.  William  Mackay,  Gentleman.  —  His  address  to  the 
members  of  the  Society  at  a  meeting  held  in  October,  1784,  the  first  after  the  Revo- 
lutionary War.  —  A  word  about  the  Tory  members  of  the  Society.  —  The  Scots' 
Charitable  Society  abscond  in  a  body  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution.  —  They 
carry  off  the  Society  records  to  Halifax.  —  Capt.  John  Mackey,  master  of  the 
schooner  "  Margaret,"  is  elected  into  the  Charitable  Irish  Society  in  1 791. —  Capt. 
Robert  Gardner  furnishes  the  town  of  Boston  a  ship  to  take  home  "  A  true 
account  of  the  horred  Massacre"  of  Nov.  5,  1770.  — His  interest  in  his  fellow- 
countrymen.  —  Many  old  members  and  some  interesting  facts  connected  with  their 
lives. — The  Society  and  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Church.  —  Gov.  Hancock  presents 
the  bell  and  vane  of  the  old  Brattle-street  meeting-house.  —  The  first  pastor. — 
Rev.  John  Moorhead.  — In  1 71 7  another  colony  of  Irish  immigrants  arrives  with 
Capt.  Robert  Temple.  — The  Know-nothing  spirit  already  abroad.  — The  Society 
visits  Andrew  Jackson,  President  of  the  United  States,  at  the  Tremont  House,  June 
22,  1833.  —  President  Jackson's  address  in  reply  to  an  Address  of  Welcome,  by 
Mr.  James  Boyd,  on  behalf  of  the  Society.  —  The  Society  honors  Lafayette.  —  The 
centennial  celebration,  March  17,  1837. — The  President  of  the  Charitable 
Mechanics'  Association  addresses  the  Society.  —  An  impending  crisis.  —  Hugh 
O'Brien  submits  a  draft  of  resolutions  condemning  and  abhorring  every  principle 
or  niuvement   that   would  dissever   the  Union,   and  invoking  the   assistance  of 


CONTENTS.  6 

PAGE 

citizens  of  all  classes  to  devote  themselves  to  the  cause  of  the  common  country.  — 
Many  members  go  to  the  seat  of  war.  —  The  centennial  anniversary  of  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill -  ...       31 

CHAPTER   IV. 

Capt.  Daniel  Malcom  and  the  revenue  acts.  —  He  is  appointed  on  a  committee  to 
regulate  the  sale  of  lambs.  — The  revenue  officers  suspect  him  of  keeping  contra- 
band goods  on  his  premises. — They  institute  a  search  without  due  warrant. — 
The  sturdy  captain  stops  them  at  the  door  of  a  room  that  he  has  his  own  reasons 
for  protecting.  —  The  officers  retire.  —  They  return  again  and  meet  with  a  worse 
reception.  —  Captain  Malcom  has  his  Irish  temper  aroused.  —  Bloodshed  immi- 
nent.—  The  British  officers  give  up  the  search.  —  The  attitude  of  the  Crown  offi- 
cials. —  The  government  depositions  regarding  the  event.  —  A  town-meeting  held 
at  which  a  committee  of  eight  of  the  foremost  citizens  is  appointed,  including 
Otis,  Hancock,  and  Adams,  to  ask  the  governor  for  copies  of  the  testimony.  — 
False  views  of  the  trouble  gain  credence  with  the  ministry.  —  Faneuil  Hall  closed 
to  the  revenue  officers  at  the  State  dinner  on  election  day.  —  The  revenue  officers 
complain  to  England.  —  Gage  stations  a  regiment  in  Boston.  —  Castle  William 
prepares  for  active  service.  —  Trouble  brewing.  —  "Rebel"  and  "Tyrant."  — 
A  guard  of  forty  men  and  what  they  did.  —  The  streets  filling  with  an  excited 
crowd.  —  Wild  rumors  and  a  war  ship.  —  Malcom  stands  at  the  head  of  his 
friends.  —  The  boats  arrive.  —  The  excitement  increases.  —  Malcom  threatens  to 
.throw  the  frigate's  people  into  the  sea. — The  moorings  are  cut. — The  vessel 
leaves  the  wharf.  —  An  attack.  —  The  Collector's  boat  dragged  to  the  Common.  — 
-  The  Puritan  Sabbath  follows. — A  meeting  at  Liberty  Hall. —  Otis,  Hancock,  Adams, 
and  Malcom  wait  upon  the  governor.  —  They  submit  a  petition.  —  Otis  speaks  of 
armed  resistance.  —  Malcom  still  busy  vindicating  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the 
people.  —  He  is  appointed  to  report  on  the  best  course  for  the  town  to  adopt  "  in 
the  present  emergency." —  With  the  recording  of  the  report  Captain  Malcom 
passes  away.  —  His  membership  in  the  Charitable  Irish  Society.  —  His  grave  on 
Copp's  Hill 44 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  immigrant. — The  first  considerable  influx  of  Irish  immigrants. — Capt.  Robert 
Temple  and  the  Irish  Protestants.  —  Five  ships  in  Boston  harbor  bearing  Irish 
immigrants.  —  The  authorities  warn  the  Irish  to  depart  the  town.  —  Governor 
Wentworth  receives  friendly  warnings  that  the  Irish  are  settling  in  the  Merrimack 
valley.  —  John  Sullivan,  the  Limerick  schoolmaster,  settles  in  Berwick,  Me.  — 
His  distinguished  sons,  James  and  John.  —  A  transcript  from  the  memorial  tablet 
in  King's  Chapel  relating  to  William  Sullivan.  —  The  Amorys.  —  The  introduc- 
tion of  the  potato  and  the  spinning-wheel  by  the  Irish.  —  The  establishment  of 
a  public  spinning-wheel  by  the  town.  —  The  Society  for  encouraging  Industry.  — 
A  public  spinning  match  on  the  Common.  —  1736-38,  ten  ships  come  to  Boston 


4  CONTENTS. 

PAGB 

from  Ireland.  —  The  immigrants  ordered  to  Spectacie  Island.  —  Capt.  Bene- 
dict Arnold  touches  at  Boston  in  the  "  Prudent  Hannah."  —  A  fifty-nine  days' 
passage  from  Kingsgate,  Ireland,  to  Boston.  —  The  returned  Irish  emigrant  in- 
spires Swift  to  write  "  Gulliver's  Travels."  —  Dennis  Sullivant  appears  before  the 
selectmen  'of  Boston  in  1 736.  —  A  pathetic  letter  from  across  the  sea.  —  The 
province  appropriates  fourteen  pounds  to  send  the  poor  fellow  home.  —  A  sloop  in 
the  harbor.  —  The  horrors  of  starvation.  —  Cannibalism  resorted  to  by  the  crew.  — 
In  the  hospital  on  Rainsford's  Island.  —  Governor  Shirley  receives  a  letter  from  a 
ship's  crew  in  extreme  want.  —  Piracy,  pure  and  simple.  —  The  result  of  a  priva- 
teering exploit.  —  Importing  Irish  Protestants.  —  A  letter  to  Samuel  "Waldo  from 
James  Boies.  —  "  An  act  to  regulate  the  importation  of  Germans  and  other  pas- 
sengers coming  to  settle  in  this  province."  —  The  modern  emigrant  ship. — 
Thanks  to  Miss  Charlotte  G.  O'Brien 51 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Know-nothing  movement.  —  Its  origin,  history,  and  development.  —  Beautiful 
Devorgilla,  of  Brefny.  —  Dermot  McMurrough  and  the  O'Rorke.  —  English 
hatred  towards  the  Irish.  —  Its  influence  on  American  thought  and  action.  — 
Fostered  by  a  careful  silence  of  English  historians  on  the  grievances  of  the  Irish. 

—  Nursed  on  American  soil,  it  sinks  to  sleep  in  times  of  danger.  —  The  Irish 
citizen  stands  preeminently  among  the  defenders  of  American  liberty. — The 
utterance  of  Cotton  Mather.  —  "  There  has  been  formidable  attempts  of  Satan  and 
his  Sons  to  unsettle  us."  —  Boston  trembles  for  the  purity  of  her  English  stock.  — 
Regulations  imposed  upon  the  march  of  colonization.  —  The  records  of  1723. — 
Many  Irishmen  in  Boston  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  — The  Loyal  Irish  Vol- 
unteers. —  Catholics  claim  the  right  to  worship.  —  Irish  citizenship  asserts  itself.  — 
A  prerequisite  to  citizenship.  —  Foreign-born  citizens  take  refuge  in  the  ranks  of 
the  democracy.  —  Accession  to  the  Presidency  of  Thomas  Jefferson.  —  The  natu- 
ralization Act  of  1802. — The  War  of  18 1 2  kindled  by  the  Irish  exiles. — The 
religious  phase  of  the  hostility  to  the  Irish  in  Boston.  — The  Broad-street  riot. — 
A  blot  on  Boston's  history.  —  Mayor  Eliot  on  the  scene.  —  He  calls  out  the 
militia.  —  The  riot  is  speedily  quelled.  —  The  burning  of  the  Ursuline  Convent  at 
Charlestown. — The  Montgomery  Guards.  —  An  insult  given  to  the  Irish  com- 
pany. —  The  march  from  the  Common  to  Faneuil  Hall.  —  Followed  by  a  mob  and 
stoned.  —  The  Irish  boys  march  steadily  through  the  spiteful  shower  of  missiles 
until  they  reach  their  armory.  —  Governor  Everett  applauds  the  Irish  company, 
and  denounces  the  conduct  of  the  City  Guards.  —  "  Native-Americanism  "  again. 

—  "I  don't  know."  —  An  "  address  "  to  the  Native- Americans  of  New  York. — 
Another  anti-Irish  excitement  in  Boston.  —  Famine  in  Ireland.  —  The  political 
aspect  of  the  case.  —  The  visits  of  Catholic  priests  to  the  city  institutions  con- 
sidered as  revolutionary.  —  The  citizens'  movement.  —  The  Boston  "  Bee."  — 
Mayor  Shurtleff  and  the  Board  of  Aldermen  wait  upon  John,  Bishop  of  Boston. — 
"  Protestant  Jesuits  "  organize.  —  Their  political  machinery  carefully  and  perfectly 
regulated.  —  The  Know-nothing  candidate.  —  He   is  defeated.  —  The  election  of 


CONTENTS.  5 

PAGE 

Alexander  H.  Rice  to  the  mayoralty.  —  The  Columbian  Artillery.  —  It  disbands 
to  escape  persecution  at  the  hands  of  the  State  government.  —  The  birth  of  the 
anti-slaver}'  movement. — Wreck  of  the  so-called  American  party. — "War! 
Irishmen  to  the  front     ..........  65 

CHAPTER  VII. 
I.  —  Concord  a?id  Lexington. 

The  Irish  soldier.  —  Irish  heroes  come  forward  to  take  their  places  in  the  annals  of 
American  history.  —  Col.  James  Barrett  at  Concord  bridge. — The  cry  of  Paul 
Revere.  —  Irishmen  heard  it  and  sprang  to  the  defence  of  the  common  cause.  — 
The  minute-men.  —  A  beautiful  picture  of  united  patriotism.  —  A  battle  without  a 
parallel  in  history.  —  Yankee  marksmen  lay  the  red-coats  low.  —  Irish-American 
minute-men.  —  Hugh  Cargill,  of  Ballyshannon.  —  Dr.  Thomas  Welsh,  the  army 
surgeon,  to  the  patriots.  —  "  Lo  !  from  the  east  I  see  the  harbinger,  and  from  the 
train  'tis  Peace  herself,  and,  as  attendants,  all  the  gentle  arts  of  life."  —  Irish 
names  on  the  rolls  of  the  Lexington  minute-men  .......       82 

PI.  —  Stifiker  Hill. 

The  morning  of  June  17,  1775.  —  A  wonderful  sight.  —  The  breastworks  on  top  of 
Breed's  Hill.  —  Manned  by  yeomen.  — A  blow  for  liberty,  and  another  in  revenge 
for  the  dreadful  oppression  of  their  forefathers  in  Ireland.  —  One  thousand  men  at 
work  under  the  veil  of  darkness.  — A  fierce  cannonade  from  the  English  war-ship 
"  Lively."  —  Brave  Col.  John  Stark  addresses  his  men.  —  They  fight  to  the  death. 

—  Charlestown  ablaze.  — The  flower  of  the  English  army  twice  hurled  back  from 
their  defences.  —  "There,  see  that  officer!  Let's  have  a  shot  at  him!"  —  The 
English  columns  broken  to  pieces.  — "  The  patriots  stand  like  the  Greeks  of 
Thermopylae."  —  Names  of  Irishmen  found  on  the  rolls  of  Bunker  Hill,  as  given 

in  the  Massachusetts  archives         ..........       88 

III.  —  The  Siege  of  Boston. 

The  English  must  go.  —  Washington  arrives  from  Virginia.  —  General  John  Sullivan 
leads  a  brigade.  —  Emigrants  from  Ireland  settle  along  the  South  Atlantic  coast. 

—  They  go  forth  to  battle  for  American  liberty.  —  Daniel  Morgan.  —  Colonel  Knox 
promises  to  send  a  noble  train  of  artillery  to  General  Washington.  —  He  keeps  his 
word. — A  faithful  wife.  —  General  William  Sullivan's  reminiscence.  —  General  Knox 
financially  embarrassed.  —  A  trio  of  men.  —  Friendly  tears.  —  "  Gentlemen,  this 
will  never  do  !  "  —  Irish  hospitality.  —  Stephen  Moylan.  —  Old  Put.  —  "  Powder, 
powder;  ye  gods,  give  us  powder !  "  —  A  word  about  General  Sullivan.  —  Jrish 
Tories.  — Arthur  Lee  on  the  Irish  Catholics.  —  General  Howe  speaks  of  "  some  is. 
merchants."  —  Crean  Brush,  the  Irish  villain.  — ,  His  connection  with  Ethan  Allen. 
— Brush  is  delegated  by  General  Gage.  — Brush  is  put'in  Boston  jail.  —  Remorse  and 
suicide  of  Brush.  —  What  is  a  Firbolg? — The  Irishmen  who  served  in  the  Con- 
tinental army  besieging  Boston 94 


6  CONTENTS. 

IV.  —  The  War  of  1812  and  the  Mexican  War. 

PAGE 

Boston,  the  seat  of  discontent  and  turbulence.  —  War  declared.  —  Boston  is  anti- 
bellum. — The  New  England  Guards.  —  The  Rangers. — The  Boston  and  Charles- 
town  Sea  Fencibles.  —  Irish  names  on  their  rolls.  — The  citizen  soldiery  enlist.  — 
Irishmen  on  the  rolls  of  this  regiment 102 

V. —  War  of  Secession. 

Two  distinctively  Irish  regiments  march  from  Boston  to  the  seat  of  war. — The  sun- 
burst floats  in  companionship  with  the  stars  and  stripes  about  the  bayonets  of  the 
famous  Ninth  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  and  the  equally  famous  Twenty-eighth, 
the  "  Faugh-a-Ballaghs." — The  adjutant-general's  report  of  the  Ninth  regiment. — 
Thomas  Cass  offers  his  services  to   Governor  Andrew.     They  are  gladly  accepted. 

—  The  governor  permits  the  Irish  flag  to  be  carried  by  the  soldiers. — The  war- 
officers  of  the  regiment.  —  The  Twenty-eighth  is  mustered  in  on  Jan.  11,  1S62, 
at  Camp  Cameron,  near  Boston.  — The  war-officers  of  the  regiment. — June  29, 
1861.  — The  Ninth  on  to  Washington.  —  At  Arlington  Heights.  — The  Peninsula 
campaign.  —  The  Ninth  bears  the  beautiful  national  flag  which  was  presented  to 
the  regiment  by  the  boys  of  the  Eliot  school.  — Aboard  the  U.  S.  Transport,  "  State 
of  Maine."  —  The  campaign  of  McClellan.  — A  plan  of  the  peninsular  campaign. 

—  Confederate  cavalry  ride  completely  around  General  McClellan's  army.  —  A 
change  of  base.  —  General  Lee  planning  to  attack  the  Union  army.  —  General 
Porter  attacked  by  Gen.  A.  R.  Hill. —The  battle  of  Gaines'  Mill  follows.  — A 
desperate  engagement. — The  national  army  loses  6,000  men.  —  The  Ninth's 
ranks  decimated.  —  They  lose  over  one-fifth  of  their  fighting  strength.  —  Colonel 
Cass  is  disabled,  and  dies  at  Malvern  Hill.  —  Col.  Patrick  R.  Guiney  succeeds  to 
the  command.  —  Guiney  orders  the  colors  forward.  —  Charge!  — The  Irish  regi- 
ment that  never  lost  a  color.  — The  Ninth  among  the  last  regiments  to  leave  the 
field  of  battle.  — The  war  correspondent's  tribute  to  the  Ninth.  —  After  the  battle 
of  Gaines'  Mill. — The  rebel  yell.  —  McClellan's  tribute  to  the  men  of  the  Ninth. 

—  Colonel  Guiney  at  Harrison's  Landing. —  Promoted  for  ability  and  bravery. — 
The  Ninth  in  the  Second  Bull  Run.  —  Under  McDowell.  —  The  Twenty-eighth 
in  the  battle.  —  The  disaster  at  Fredericksburg.  —  Terrible  fighting.  —  Hancock's 
division,  with  the  brigades  of  Cook,  Meagher,  and  Caldwell,  advance.  —  The  Ninth 
at  Gettysburg.  —  The  Twenty-eighth  on  Cemetery  Hill.  —  Exposed  to  the  heavy 
and  concentrated  musketry  fire.  —  Colonel  Guiney  wounded  in  the  first  day's  fight 
in  the  Wilderness.  —  Lieut. -Colonel  Hanley  in  command  during  the  remainder  of 
the  battle.  —  The  Twenty-eighth  in  the  Wilderness.  —  Death  of  Capt.  James 
Mclntire  and  Capt.  Charles  P.  Smith.  —  A  race  for  Richmond. — The  Ninth  in 
it  to  Cold  Harbor.  —  The  loss  in  this  series  of  engagements.  —  The  Twenty-eighth 
stays  nearly  through  the  war.  —  Death  of  Colonel  Byrnes  at  Cold  Harbor.  —  At 
Petersburg,  Va.  —  The  Twenty-eighth  the  last  regiment  to  leave  the  intrenchments 
at  the  battle  of  Reams'  Station.  —  Publicly  complimented  for  gallant  conduct  by 
General  Nelson  A.  Miles.  —  Officers  killed  in  action.  —  Home  again  .         .         .  104 


CONTENTS.  7 

PAGE 

THE   CATHOLIC   CHURCH  IN   BOSTON 121 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES   OF   DISTINGUISHED 
MEN   OF   EARLY   TIMES. 

John  Hancock 167 

Major-General  Henry  Knox 169 

Governor  James  Sullivan 171 

Robert  Treat  Paine 174 

The  Crehore  Family 175 

Rev.  John  Lyford .        .        .        „        .        .  177 

William  Hibbins 178 

Benjamin  Crehore 178 

George  Downing 181 

Anthony  Gulliver 181 

James  Boies 183 

Jeremiah  Smith 186 

John  Hannan 1 86 

Hugh  McLean 188 

John  McLean 189 

John  Singleton  Copley 190 

Lord  John  Singleton  Copley  Lyndhurst 193 

Charles  Jackson 193 

James  Jackson 194 

Patrick  Tracy  Jackson 195 

James  Kavanagh 196 

William  Douglass  O'Connor 197 

Jeremiah  Smith  Boies 197 

Andrew  Dunlap 198 

Cornelius  Conway  Felton 198 

James  Boyd 199 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF   REPRESENTATIVE 
MEN   OF   OUR  OWN   TIMES. 

John  Boyle  O'Reilly 207 

Patrick  A.  Collins 213 

Hugh  O'Brien 216 

Patrick  S.  Gilmore 219 

Gov.  Thomas  Talbot 221 

The  Milmores 223 


8  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

William  Parsons 224 

Patrick  Donahoe 227 

Thomas  D'Arcy  McGee 23* 

Rev.  Henry  Giles 234 

Thomas  J.  Gargan 235 

The  Most  Rev.  John  J.  Williams 238 

Rt.  Rev.  Matthew  Harkins 24° 

Rev.  Robert  Fulton,    S.J 24J 

Robert  Dwyer  Joyce,  M.D.,  M.R.I.A 243 

Gen.  Patrick  R.  Guiney 245 

John  E.  Fitzgerald 249 

Rev.  John  Cordner 25l 

Rev.  Robert  Meredith 252 

Edward  C.  Carrigan 2S3 

Rev.  Henry  Bernard  Carpenter •  25^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF   NOTED   WOMEN. 

Louise  Imogen  Guiney 263 

Mary  Elizabeth  Blake 27I 

Katherine  Eleanor  Conway 277 

Mary  Catherine  Crowley 28x 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES   OF   BOSTON   LAWYERS         ....  283 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES   OF   BOSTON  PHYSICIANS     ....  301 

BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES   OF  BOSTON  JOURNALISTS  3°9 
BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES   OF  PAST  AND    PRESENT   MEMBERS   OF 

THE  PUBLIC   SERVICE 337 

BUSINESS  AFFAIRS  AND   MEN   OF  BUSINESS 397 

APPENDICES 431 


ENGRAVINGS. 


By  J.   P.   MURPHY  &  CO. 


PAGE 

John  Boyle  O'Reilly Frontispiece 

James  Boyd 40 

Tombstone  of  Daniel  Malcom 49 

Henry  A.  McGlenen 102 

Gen.  Patrick  R.  Guiney 104 

Peninsular  War  Map 109 

Col.  Patrick  T.  Hanley 116 

The  Most  Rev.  John  J.  Williams 124 

John  Hancock        -....„ 167 

Major-General  Henry  Knox 169 

Patrick  A.  Collins 214 

Hugh  O'Brien 216 

Gov.  Thomas  Talbot 220 

William  Parsons 225 

Patrick  Donahoe 228 

Thomas  D'Arcy  McGee         . 231 

Thomas  J.  Gargan 236 

Louise  Imogen  Guiney 264 

Katherine  E.  Conway 278 

Mary  Catherine  Crowley 282 

Edward  J.  Jenkins        .                                        292 

William  A.  Dunn,  M.D 304 

James  Jeffrey  Roche 310 

Thomas  F.  Keenan 318 

William  F.  Kenney 320 

Thomas  Maguire 322 

John  J.  Merrigan 326 

Stephen  O'Meara «,  328 

(9) 


10 


ENGRA  VINGS. 


Charles  S.  O'Neill 
Helen  F.  O'Neill  . 
Margaret  G.  Reynolds 
Michael  M.  Cunniff 
Edward  J.  Donovan 
William  Doogue    . 
Paul  H.  Kendricken 
John  H.  McDonough 
Michael  J.  McEttrick 
John  R.  Murphy     . 
John  B.  O'Brien     . 
Christopher  Blake 
Thomas  B.  Fitz 
Patrick  Maguire   . 
Dennis  J.  Hern 
John  B.  Regan 


•  •  •  •  e  *  o 

D  •  •  •  •  ■  • 


PAGE 
330 

332 

334 
35° 
354 
356 
366 

374 
376 
380 
382 
408 
410 
412 
418 
420 


THE  IRISH   IN   BOSTON. 


CHAPTER    I; 

THE   IRISH   IN   THE    COLONIAL   PERIOD. 

BOSTON,  Massachusetts,  considered  as  a  name  merely,  presents 
a  contrast  of  elements  that  typifies  its  history.  One  end  of  it 
is  ancient,  Christian,  civilized :  St.  Botolpti s  town,  so  clipped  and 
rubbed  in  centuries  of  English  speech  as  to  leave  its  canonical  name- 
sake out  of  all  memory.  As  for  the  other  end,  it  is  the  native  name 
of  a  tribe  whose  history  had  ceased  before  Boston's  was  begun. 
"  The  town  of  a  wild  Indian  tribe  which  used  to  be  called  after  St. 
Botolph"  would  be  a  literal  translation  of  its  familiar,  and,  to  most  of 
us,  intrinsically  meaningless  name.  So,  in  the  history  of  the  dear  old. 
place  itself,  contradictions  appear  throughout  its  existence.  Planted! 
after  several  wealthy  colonies  had  already  achieved  a  place  in  history, 
it  was  destined  soon  to  lead  in  all  that  marks  advance  of  civilization, 
and  shortly  afterward  to  inaugurate  the  sullen  state  of  insubordina- 
tion to  England  which  eventually  led  to  open  rebellion.  Founded 
for  the  sake  of  an  unrestrained  worship  of  God,  it  was  most  bitter  in 
religious  persecution;  giving  of  its  first  thoughts  to  the  establishment 
of  liberal  education,  it  darkened  ignorance  in  the  days  of  witchcraft 
superstition ;  English  of  all  things,  it  was  of  necessity  anti-Irish,  and 
classed  this  unfortunate  people  with  the  heathen  tribes  of  the  forest: 
yet  among  her  earliest  records  appear  the  distinctively  Irish  names 
of  Cogan,  Barry,  Connors,  MacCarty,  Kelly;  throughout  her  colonial 
history,  when  the  wild  Irish,  the  pope,  the  devil,  and  the  Pretender 
were  classed  together  and  hated  in  the  lump,  the  Irish  were  in  their 
midst,  though   Irish   Catholicity  remained  till   near  the  Revolution 

(ID 


12  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

almost  unrepresented.  And  what  more  striking  contrast  than  its 
first  year  and  its  last  past,  when  an  Irish  Catholic  mayor  forthe  fourth 
time  ascended  the  chair  of  office  and  entered  upon  duties  that  none 
have  more  ably  and  faithfully  discharged  ! 

During  the  colonization  of  America,  Ireland  was  certainly  a 
dreadful  place  to  live  in,  and  Irish  emigration  to  America  was  very 
naturally  to  be  expected.  Class  lines  in  Ireland  were  drawn  sharply 
on  the  basis  of  formal  religion,  and  the  people  were  divided  into  three 
unequal  portions,  the  largest  having  least  power,  and  the  smallest  the 
greatest  power.  The  government  of  the  country  was  in  the  hands 
of  communicants  of  the  Established  Church  of  Ireland ;  all  refusing 
the  rigid  and  systematic  tests  were  excluded  from  the  franchise. 
These  Episcopalians  were  the  agents  of  the  most  cruel  and  systematic 
oppression  that  ever  disgraced  civilization.  They  lived  among  a 
people  outnumbering  them  nearly  ten  to  one,  whose  religion  they 
despised  and  persecuted,  whose  ignorance  they  mocked  at  while  they 
fostered  it,  whose  extreme  poverty  and  distress  were  the  conditions 
of  their  own  prosperity.  Avarice  and  bigotry  both  urged  them  to 
abuse  their  despotic  power.  They  lived  there  as  the  carpet-baggers 
lived  at  the  South  after  the  war ;  and  they  had  every  reason  to  want 
to  leave  at  the  first  profitable  opportunity. 

A  large  number  of  Presbyterians  from  Scotland  had  settled  in 
the  North  of  Ireland,  in  the  reign  of  James  I.  These  shared,  to  a 
certain  extent,  the  political  disqualifications  of  the  Catholics.  They 
hated  Catholicism  perhaps  even  more  fiercely  than  the  English  them- 
selves, and  they  sowed  the  seeds  of  an  unchristian  bigotry,  which  to  this 
day  disgraces  the  name  of  Ulster.  They  were  between  the  upper  and 
the  nether  millstone,  the  Episcopalians  above,  the  Catholics  beneath ; 
and  soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  best  of 
them  gave  up  the  struggle  and  flocked  in  shiploads  to  America. 

As  for  the  Catholics,  who  constituted  nearly  four- fifths  of  the 
population,  their  condition  is  best  described  in  the  words  of  the  his- 
torian Bancroft :  — 

"...  a  conquered  people,  whom  the  victors  delighted  to 
trample  upon,  and  did  not  fear  to  provoke.    Their  industry  within  the 


THE     COLONIAL    PERIOD.  13 

kingdom  was  prohibited  or  repressed  by  law,  and  then  they  were 
calumniated  as  naturally  idle.  Their  savings  could  not  be  invested  on 
equal  terms  in  trade,  manufactures,  or  real  property;  and  they  were 
called  improvident.  The  gates  of  learning  were  shut  on  them,  and 
they  were  derided  as  ignorant."  Add  to  this  that  the  law  of  the 
land  was  always  and  everywhere  set  against  the  dictates  of  their 
conscience,  while  the  persecution  of  their  priesthood  delivered  them 
over  to  the  spiritual  guidance  of  any  ignorant  peasant  whose  courage 
and  faith  enabled  him  to  face  the  terrors  of  the  law. 

The  same  motive  that  brought  about  the  "  plantation  of  Ulster  " 
moved  the  authorities  to  invite  some  of  the  New  England  colonists,  a 
few  years  after  the  founding  of  Boston,  to  go  to  Ireland  and  settle 
there.  In  spite  of  liberal  bounties  offered  for  such  colonization,  very 
few  went,  and  the  episode  is  interesting  rather  as  showing  the  un- 
desirableness  of  Ireland  as  a  home  at  that  time,  than  for  its  influence 
on  the  course  of  history  on  either  side  of  the  water. 

When  this  sketch  was  first  proposed  it  seemed  to  the  writer  that 
to  begin  before  the  Revolution  with  the  history  of  the  Irish  here 
would  be  a  profitless  task.  The  subject  has  not  before  been  treated 
in  any  publication.  There  are  one  or  two  church  histories  that  deal 
with  the  question,  but  they,  as  well  as  all  others,  take  it  for  granted, 
without  very  careful  search,  that  an  Irishman  in  New  England  was  in 
early  times  as  rare  as  a  white  blackbird.  But  on  consideration  of 
the  large  "Scotch-Irish"  immigration  to  New  Hampshire  and  to  the 
South,  and  of  the  occasional  visits  of  the  Puritans  to  Ireland,  it 
seemed  strange  if,  with  all  the  exodus  from  that  land  of  sorrow,  so 
few  should  reach  America.  On  careful  examination  of  some  original 
records  these  suspicions  were  strengthened  into  belief.  It  was  found 
that  a  large  number  of  the  American  colonists  were  of  Irish  descent. 
How  large  may  be  inferred  from  the  personnel  of  the  patriot  armies 
of  the  Revolution. 

George  W.  Parke  Custis,  Washington's  adopted  son,  in  "  Per- 
sonal Recollections,"  says :  "  Of  the  operations  of  the  war,  I  mean 
the  soldiers  up  to  the  coming  of  the  French,  Ireland  had  furnished  in 
the  ratio  of  one  hundred  for  one  of  any  other  nation." 


14  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

At  an  investigation  of  the  causes  of  defeat  in  the  war  with  the 
colonies,  held  in  the  British  House  of  Commons  in  1779,  Major 
General  Roberston,  who  had  served  twenty-four  years  in  America, 
was  asked,  "  How  are  the  provincial  corps  composed,  mostly  of 
native  Americans,  or  from  emigrants  from  various  nations  of 
Europe?" 

He  answered :  "  Some  of  the  corps  consist  mostly  of  natives ; 
others,  I  believe  the  greatest  number,  are  enlisted  from  such  people 
that  can  be  got  in  the  country,  and  many  of  them  may  be  emigrants. 
I  remember  General  Lee  telling  me  that  he  believed  half  the  rebel 
army  were  from  Ireland."  l 

Joseph  Galloway,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  Speaker  of  the 
Assembly  of  the  colony  for  twelve  years,  and  a  delegate  to  the  first 
Continental  Congress,  who  became  a  violent  Tory  in  1778,  was  ex- 
amined for  several  days  by  various  members  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons. Among  other  questions  he  was  asked,  "  That  part  of  the 
rebel  army  that  enlisted  in  the  service  of  Congress,  were  they  chiefly 
composed  of  natives  of  America,  or  were  the  greater  part  of  them 
English,  Scotch,  and  Irish  ?  "  Galloway  answered  :  "  The  names  and 
places  of  their  nativity  being  taken  down,  I  can  answer  the  question 
with  precision.  There  were  scarcely  one-fourth  natives  of  America, 
about  one-half  Irish,  the  other  fourth  English  and  Scotch."  2 

The  fact  that  hardly  any  Irish  Catholic  is  heard  of  as  eminent 
among  the  early  Bostonians  is  easily  accounted  for,  if  we  remember 
the  feeling  almost  universal  against  them,  as  well  as  the  great  dis- 
advantages pressing  upon  Catholics  at  the  very  outset  of  the  struggle. 
Englishmen,  and  Americans  as  well,  inherited  a  hearty  hatred  of  the 
French,  and  everything  belonging  to  them,  due  to  a  warfare  con- 
tinuous through  generations.  Catholics  were,  therefore,  apart  from 
religious  prejudice,  looked  upon  as  hostile,  in  that  they  had  beliefs 
and  principles  in  common  with  the  French.  In  fact,  almost  all  the 
Catholics  heard  of  in  the  earlier  days  of  Boston  were  straggling 
Frenchmen ;  and  the  first  priests  to  venture  an  establishment  here 
were  French. 

1  British  House  of  Commons  Reports,  fifth  session,  fourteenth  Parliament,  vol.  xiii.,  p.  303. 
8  British  Commons  Reports,  vol.  xiii.,  p.  431. 


THE     COLONIAL    PERIOD.  15 

This  view  of  the  case  is  borne  out  by  the  fact  that,  when  French 
alliance  was  assured,  and  her  friendly  vessels  lay  at  anchor  in  the 
harbor,  the  selectmen  of  Boston  so  far  forgot  their  fears  as  to  march 
in  a  solemn  religious  procession  headed  by  French  priests  with  a 
crucifix  borne  in  the  van. 

Lest  there  should  be  any  misunderstanding  of  the  actual  state 
of  public  opinion  in  Boston  on  the  question  of  Catholics,  the  follow- 
ing declarations  of  the  citizens  of  the  town  should  be  carefully  con- 
sidered.1 In  the  records  of  the  town  meeting,  on  Sept.  22,  1746,  this 
entry  appears :  — 

Whereas  it  is  suggested  that  there  are  several  persons  Roman  Catholicks 
that  now  dwell  and  reside  in  this  Town  and  it  may  be  very  Dangerous  to  permit 
such  persons  to  Reside  here  in  Case  we  should  be  attack'd  by  an  Enemy,  There- 
fore Voted  that  Mr.  Jeremiah  Allen  Mr.  Nathaniel  Gardner  and  Mr.  Joseph 
Bradford  be  and  hereby  are  appointed  a  Committee  to  take  Care  and  prevent  any 
Danger  the  Town  may  be  in  from  Roman  Catholicks  residing  here  by  making  Strict 
Search  and  enquiry  after  all  such  and  pursue  such  Methods  relating  to  them  as  the 
Law  directs. 

In  the  adjournment  of  this  meeting,  September  25,  we  find  the 
following :  — 

The  Committee  appointed  the  22d  instant  to  take  Care  and  prevent  any 
Danger  the  Town  may  be  in  by  Roman  Catholicks  residing  here,  Reported  that 
they  had  found  the  Laws  now  in  force  relating  to  such  persons  to  be  insufficient 
To  Enable  them  to  Effect  the  same  and  therefore  could  do  nothing  hereon  altho 
they  suspected  a  considerable  number  of  Roman  Catholicks  to  be  now  in  Town,  — 
Whereupon  it  was  moved  &  Voted  that  the  Representatives  of  this  Town  be  and 
hereby  are  desired  to  Endeavour  at  the  next  Session  of  the  General  Court  to  get  a 
law  pass'd  that  shall  be  effectual  to  Secure  the  Town  from  any  Danger  they  may  be 
in,  by  Roman  Catholicks  Dwelling  here. 

The  following  extract  is  from  the  records  of  the  town  meeting 
held  Nov.  20,  1772,  or  rather  from  a  pamphlet  published  by  order  of 
the  town,  containing  the  report  of  a  committee  of  that  meeting. 
This  committee  was  appointed  "  to  state  the  rights  of  the  Colonists, 

1  Town  Rec,  1746,  p.  103. 


16  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

and   of  this  province    in  particular,   as  men,  as  Christians,   and  as 
subjects.     .     .     .  " :  — 

In  regard  to  Religeon,  mutual  tolleration  in  the  different  professions  thereof,  is 
what  all  good  and  candid  minds  in  all  ages  have  ever  practiced ;  and  both  by  pre- 
cept and  example  inculcated  on  mankind.  .  .  .  Mr.  Lock  has  asserted  and 
proved  .  .  .  that  such  toleration  ought  to  be  extended  to  all  those  whose 
doctrines  are  not  subversive  of  society.  The  only  Sects  which  he  thinks  ought  to 
be,  and  which  by  all  wise  laws  are  excluded  from  such  toleration  are  those  who 
teach  doctrines  subversive  of  the  Civil  Government  under  which  they  live.  The 
Roman  C  atholics  or  Papists  are  excluded  by  reason  of  such  doctrines  as  these 
"  that  Princes  excommunicated  may  be  deposed,  and  those  they  call  Hereticks 
may  be  destroyed  without  mercy ;  besides  their  recognizing  the  Pope  in  so  absolute 
a  manner,  in  subversion  of  Government,  by  introducing  as  far  as  possible  into  the 
states,  under  whose  protection  they  enjoy  life,  liberty  and  property,  that  solecism 
in  politicks,  Imperium  in  imperio  leading  directly  to  the  worst  anarchy  and  confu- 
sion, civil  discord,  war  and  bloodshed.1 

After  this,  by  way  of  justification,  reference  is  made  to  the  ex- 
ception of  "Papists,  etc.,"  from  the  benefits  of  the  Toleration  Act, 
and  to  the  "  liberty  of  conscience  allowed  in  the  worship  of  God  to 
all  christians  except  Papists  "  granted  in  the  charter  of  the  Province. 

We  find  young  Henry  Knox,  the  future  artillerist  of  the  Ameri- 
can army,  in  an  anti-popery  procession,  one  "Pope's  night,"  in 
Boston,  and  when  a  wagon  broke  a  wheel,  he  supported  it  with  his 
own  tough-stringed  muscles,  lest  the  pageant  should  be  eclipsed  by 
that  of  a  rival  organization.  His  family  was  from  near  Belfast  in 
Ireland. 

"Pope's  night"  was  celebrated  on  November  5,  each  year,  by 
processions  of  anti-popery  exhibits,  and  ended  by  burning  the  pope 
in  effigy.  We  find  a  reference  to  it  in  one  of  General  Washington's 
orders  to  his  army  soon  after  taking  command  at  Boston :  — 

November  5.  As  the  Commander-in-Chief  has  been  apprised  of  a  design 
formed  for  the  observance  of  that  ridiculous  and  childish  custom  of  burning  the 
effigy  of  the  Pope,  he  cannot  help  expressing  his  surprise  that  there  should  be  offi- 
cers and  soldiers  in  this  army  so  void  of  common  sense  as  not  to  see  the  impropriety 
of  such  a  step  at  this  juncture ;  at  a  time  when  we  are  soliciting,  and  have  really 

1  Town  Rec,  1772,  pp.  95-96. 


THE     COLONIAL    PERIOD.  17 

obtained,  the  friendship  and  alliance  of  the  people  of  Canada,  whom  we  ought  to 
consider  as  brethren  embarked  in  the  same  cause,  — the  defence  of  the  liberty  of 
America ;  at  this  juncture,  and  under  such  circumstances,  to  be  insulting  their  re- 
ligion, is  so  monstrous  as  not  to  be  suffered  or  excused ;  indeed,  instead  of  offering 
the  most  remote  insult,  it  is  our  duty  to  address  public  thanks  to  these  our  brethern, 
as  to  them  we  are  indebted  for  every  late  happy  success  over  the  common  enemy  in 
Canada. 

The  conflict  of  rival  processions  for  the  custody  of  the  pope  and 
the  devil,  the  two  important  features  of  each  display,  sometimes  led 
to  serious  trouble.1     The  custom  disappeared  after  the  Revolution. 

In  such  dread  was  this  religion  held  at  Boston  that  even  the 
dying  were  grudged  the  solace  of  the  priest's  last  office.  On  the 
4th  of  February,  1789,  a  Frenchman  named  Louis  Abraham 
Welsh,  at  point  of  death  in  the  town  of  Dedham,  begged  to  see  a 
priest.  His  intimate  friend  and  his  landlord  went  together  to  Boston 
to  bring  the  Abbe  de  la  Poterie,  the  only  Catholic  clergyman  in  the 
vicinity ;  but  on  arriving  in  the  town  they  were  dissuaded  from  their 
kindly  enterprise,  and  the  poor  fellow  died  unshriven.2 

It  is  to  be  remembered,  too,  that  non-conforming  Catholics  in 
Ireland  had  small  chance  of  retaining  any  property,  and  consequently 
came  to  this  country  in  extreme  distress.  Probably  most  of  them 
were  sold  into  temporary  slavery  to  pay  for  their  passage  over. 
Without  doubt  many  came  as  transports  under  the  penal  laws  against 
preaching  or  teaching  their  religion  or  harboring  those  who  did.  AH 
education  of  whatever  kind  obtained  by  "  papists  "  in  Ireland  must 
be  obtained  in  secret,  and  in  terror  of  the  law.  Even  in  manufactures, 
except  in  the  case  of  linen,  no  more  than  two  apprentices  were 
allowed  in  any  Catholic  establishment.  Neither  are  Irish  apostates 
from  Catholicity  in  America  to  be  from  any  point  of  view  seriously 
blamed ;  they  lived  without  religious  instruction  from  the  learned  of 
their  faith,  in  the  midst  of  men  who,  while  known  and  acknowledged 
as  in  most  things  wise  and  good,  regarded  their  condition  as  little 
better  than  paganism ;   and  they  were  subject  to  social  and  political 

1  Town  Records,  1765,  p.  158;  1767,  p.  224;  1774,  pp.  194-5. 

2  This  was  the  occasion  of  a  small  pamphlet  (4  pp. ) ,  to  be  found  in  a  miscellaneous 
volume  called  "  Boston  Scraps,"  in  the  Boston  Public  Library. 


18  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

cold-shouldering,  which  is  always  more  effective  than  active  perse- 
cution. The  wonder  is  that  any  of  that  creed  remained.  They  did, 
however,  make  some  effort  for  conscience'  sake.  It  is  said  that  the 
French  authorities  in  Canada  had  to  send  home  for  an  Irish  priest 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Catholics  at  Boston.  It  was  intended  to  station" 
him  at  St.  Johns.1 

A  large  number  of  the  Irish  in  America  were  Presbyterians, 
descendants  of  the  planters  of  Ulster.  It  has  come  to  be  the  fashion 
to  call  them  Scotch-Irish,  and  the  statement  has  been  made  that 
nothing  could  be  more  unjust  and  offensive  than  to  call  them  Irish. 
Perhaps  they  might  be  excused  for  appealing  to  the  nationality  of  their 
great-grandfathers,  coming  as  they  did  from  a  land  where  alienation 
was  considered  the  highest  claim  to  worldly  distinction.  What  was 
the  test?  How  many  generations,  born  and  dead  on  Irish  soil,  could 
be  accepted  as  enough  to  prove  Irish  nationality?  Of  course  such  a 
test  was  not  applied  with  the  same  thoroughness  to  Scotchmen,  be- 
cause they  were  not  coming  to  live  with  oppressors,  and  to  compete 
with  them  for  the  good  things  of  the  wilderness. 

Stress  is  laid  upon  the  difference  in  race  between  the  Scotch- 
Irish  and  the  Catholic  Irish ;  but  as  Scotland  was  in  early  times  colo- 
nized by  the  Irish,  received  from  them  the  Gaelic  tongue,  the 
Christian  religion,  the  laws  and  customs  of  early  civilization,  and  even 
her  very  name,  the  difference  in  race-tendency  between  the  Irish  and 
even  the  bona-fide  Scotch  cannot  be  great. 

The  condition  of  the  "  planters  "  and  their  descendants  in  Ireland 
was  not,  to  be  sure,  so  much  like  citizenship  as  that  of  their  cousins 
in  Scotland.  They  formed  a  separate  community  within  the  country, 
holding  land  by  rental,  bitterly  hating  the  Catholics.  But  was  the 
condition  of  the  "wild  Irish"  any  nearer  to  that  of  natives?  So  far 
as  hatred  went,  they  had  plenty  of  cause  to  hate  their  Presbyterian 
neighbors  as  well  as  their  "natural  lords"  the  English;  they  held 
land  on  still  more  precarious  tenure,  if  at  all;  they  were  separate  as 
the  pariahs  of  the  East,  and  not  only  without  political  organization, 
but  even  without  any  opportunity  of   religious  communion ;    they 

"-  ■-  -■  ■ ■ — =» 

1  Rev.  James  Fitton  :  The  Church  in  New  England,  p.  74. 


THE     COLONIAL    PERIOD.  19 

were  regarded  by  the  government  as  alien  and  hostile.  Of  course, 
they  were  more  numerous  than  the  "  planters  "  of  Ulster  and  Con- 
naught  ;   but  this  is  not  a  question  of  majorities. 

Perhaps  the  most  significant  thing  in  this  connection  appears  in 
the  organization  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society.  Without  the  slight- 
est equivocation  they  describe  themselves  as  "  of  the  Irish  Nation," 
and,  to  make  the  matter  plainer,  select  St.  Patrick's  day  as  the  time 
of  starting  their  work.  A  Scots'  Charitable  Society  had  been  in 
existence  some  sixty  years,  and  was  then  in  a  flourishing  condition ; 
so  if  they  were  Scotchmen,  they  had  no  need  to  call  themselves  Irish- 
men, and  leave  it  for  modern  historians  to  undo  their  work.  If  there 
is  anything  less  dignified  than  a  negro  powdered  white,  or  a  Jew  that 
hopes  to  conceal  his  race,  it  is  an  Irishman  ashamed  of  his  nation- 
ality. In  view  of  the  worry  of  later  generations,  it  is  refreshing  to 
note  that  these  Irishmen  were  not  of  the  worrying  class.  They  did, 
however,  bar  Catholics  from  all  offices  of  honor  or  trust ;  following 
is  an  order  adopted  on  organization,  and  in  force  during  the  earlier 
years  of  the  society :  — 

VIII.  The  Managers  of  this  Society  shall  be  a  President,  a  Vice-President,  a 
Treasurer,  three  Assistants,  and  three  Key-keepers,  with  a  Servitor  to  attend  the 
Society's  service,  the  Managers  to  be  natives  of  Ireland,  or  Natives  of  any  other 
Part  of  the  British  Dominions  of  Irish  Extraction,  being  Protestants,  and  inhabi- 
tants of  Boston. 

Under  date  of  1764,  a  revised  copy  of  the  rules  and  orders  is  on 
record,  and  in  the  eighth  article  the  qualification  of  Protestantism  is 
omitted,  all  others  being  retained.  In  1804,  when  the  present 
constitution  was  drawn  up,  the  religious  limitation  was  formally 
abandoned. 

To  the  prejudice  of  the  New  England  colonists  against  Irishmen 
is  due  much  of  the  obscurity  that  now  envelops  the  history  of  the 
Irish  here  in  early  times.  In  cases  where  the  emigrant  dared  to 
place  his  own  old  home  upon  record,  his  connections  neglected  to 
record  or  publish  the  fact,  and  in  the  second  generation  there  were 
few  traces  left  of  the   nationality  of  the  first.     We  have,  in   another 


20  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

place,  adverted  to  the  conjectured  birthplace  of  Peter  Pelham; 
another  and  similar  instance  of  mistaken  history  occurred  among 
the  Brecks,  of  Dorchester,  a  numerous  and  distinguished  family,  that 
have  left  their  honorable  mark  on  the  whole  of  Boston's  earlier  life. 

The  first  of  the  family  is  Edward  Brick,  or  Breck,  who  came  to 
Dorchester  in  1636  with  his  son  Robert,  and  was  admitted  a  freeman 
in  1639.  He  was  chosen  to  run  the  boundary  of  the  town  in  1642, 
was  on  the  board  of  selectmen  in  1645,  and  received  many  other 
tokens  of  the  town's  confidence.  In  1653,  when  his  wife's  death  was 
entered  of  record,  he  was  described  as  "  Edward  Breecke  of  Dor- 
chester, servant  to  Mr.  William  Paddy"  (after  whom  Paddy's  alley, 
leading  north-west  from  North  street,  was  named).  In  Savage's 
Dictionary  of  Genealogy  he  is  entered  as  "probably  of  Ashton  in 
County  Devon,"  England ;  but  it  has  recently  been  shown  that  this  con- 
jecture was  a  mistaken  one.  There  is,  at  present,  in  the  possession  of 
the  Dorchester  Antiquarian  and  Historical  Society,  a  deed  on  parch- 
ment which  has  never  been  recorded.  It  recites  that  in  consideration 
of  £63  Thos  Hawkins  has  conveyed  to  Dan1  Preston  of  Dorchester 
24  acres  of  land  more  or  less,  part  upland  and  part  marsh,  in  a  place 
anciently  called  Captain's  neck,  bounded  by  the  land  late  Edward 
Brick's  on  the  north,  by  the  mill  creek  on  the  south  and  west,  by  the 
creek  in  part  and  by  the  land  of  said  Dan1  Preston  in  part  on  the  east, 
excepting  about  a  quarter  acre  that  belonged  with  the  mill ;  "  which 
twenty-fower  acres  of  land  the  said  Thomas  Hawkins  had  and 
purchased  of  Robert  Breck  of  Galway  in  Ireland  Merchant  and  Sarah 
his  wife  as  by  their  general  deed  .  .  .  bearing  date  the  thirtieth 
of  December  1663  more  fully  appeareth." 

This  Thomas  Hawkins  was  the  only  son  of  Captain  Thomas 
Hawkins,  one  of  the  earliest  ship-builders  in  Boston,  and  a  man  of 
some  note  in  his  time.1  Robert  Breck,  named  in  the  deed,  was  the 
son  of  Edward  Breck,  and  had  married  Sarah,  the  daughter  of  the 
younger  Thomas  Hawkins.  He  removed  to  Boston,  where  he  was 
admitted  an  inhabitant  in  1655,  and  where  his  son  Robert  was  born 
in  1658.     From  this  family  and  its  collateral  branch,  the  Brecks  of 

1  See  Drake,  pp.  271,  287. 


THE     COLONIAL    PERIOD.  21 

Medfield,  come  many  of  the  most  respected  citizens  of  Boston,  from 
that  time  to  the  present  day.  The  name  occurs  frequently  among 
the  early  graduates  of  Harvard  College. 

Then  there  are  two  other  families  whose  names  are  a  pretty  sure 
indication  of  Irish  blood,  although  they  are  described  as  English  when 
any  description  is  ventured  upon.  Florence  Maccarty x  was  in  Bos- 
ton as  early  as  1686.  He  was  a  butcher,  and  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  first  society  for  Episcopal  worship  in  New  England.2  He  had 
two  sons,  Thomas,  born  1689,  and  William,  born  1691  ;  and  he  had 
three  daughters.  He  was  elected  constable  for  the  year  1687-88. 
He  built  his  slaughter-house  on  Peck's  wharf,  in  1693,  m  company 
with  Samuel  Bill  and  Henry  Brightman.  He  died  in  171 2.  His  son 
William  was  on  several  occasions  elected  to  office  in  Boston,  but  did 
not  seem  anxious  to  serve  the  town  in  that  way. 

The  estate  of  Florence  Maccarty,  at  his  death,  was  valued  at 
^2,922,  including  "  land  and  housing  on  King  Street,"  valued  at 
;£i,ooo,  situated  probably  at  the  south-west  corner  of  State  and 
Congress  streets,  which  was  at  that  time  known  as  Maccarty's  corner. 
The  Maccarty  farm,  near  where  the  Marcella-street  Home  now  is,  was 
bought  for  use  as  a  stock  farm,  in  connection  with  his  butcher  busi- 
ness; it  was  broken  up  and  sold  in  1830. 

Thaddeus  Maccarty  had  four  sons  and  a  daughter ;  Charles  died 
at  the  age  of  eighteen,  in  1683;  the  others  were:  Francis,  born  in 
1667;  Thaddeus,  born  in  1670;  and  Samuel,  born  in  1678.  He  was 
an  officer  of  the  town  in  1674,  and  a  member  of  the  artillery  company 
in  1 68 1.  He  was  taxed  for  .£50  in  1686.  This  implies  an  estate  of 
probably  not  less  than  ^250,  actual  value  at  that  time;  and  this  sum 
represents  much  more  than  the  same  amount  now  does.  He  died  at 
the  age  of  sixty-five,  in  Boston,  in  1705.  His  son  Thaddeus  was 
elected  constable  in  1727,  but  showed  the  same  disinclination  to  serve. 

Thomas  Maccarty  graduated  from  Harvard  College  in  1691,  and 

'There  was  an  Irish  chief  of  this  name  of  some  note  about  a  century  before  (see 
Amory,  Transfer  of  Erin,  p.  522)  :  this  man's  name  may  be  an  indication  of  patriotism  on 
the  part  of  his  parents,  possibly  of  family  pride.  But  the  next  generation  did  not  inherit  the 
father's  significant  name. 

s  Drake,  p.  468. 


22  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

was  dead  in  1698.  Charles  Maccarty  was  badly  wounded  in  the  ex- 
pedition against  Quebec  in  1690.  These  last  two  are  not  known  to 
belong  to  either  of  the  two  families  mentioned  above. 

David  Kelly  was  a  land-owner  in  Boston  in  1679.1  His  son  David 
was  born  here  in  1647,  Edward  in  1664,  John  Kelly  lived  here  about 
the  same  time,  and  had  sons  John  and  Samuel. 

Edward  Mortimer  was  on  one  of  the  first  fire-engine  companies 
here  organized.2  He  kept  a  public  house,  and  was  described  as  "  an 
accomplished  Merchant,  a  person  of  great  modesty,  and  could  answer 
the  most  abstruse  points  in  algebra,  navigation,  dialling,  etc."  He 
was  an  Irishman.  By  his  wife,  Jane,  he  had  three  sons :  Edward,  born 
1676;  Richard,  born  1680;  Robert,  born  1688  ;  and  three  daughters. 

In  the  register  of  births,  marriages,  and  deaths  in  Boston,  from 
1630  to  1700,  there  are  over  two  hundred  entries  of  names  distinc- 
tively Irish,3  and  probably  many  others  just  as  certainly  Irish,  but  not 
so  entered.  In  some  cases,  here  and  there,  Scotch  and  Irish  nation- 
ality is  remarked  upon  in  the  register.  We  give  a  few  instances  of 
this :  — 

1656.  Edmond  Coussins  of  Pulling  Point  and  Margaret  Bird  an  Irish  maid 
servant  to  John  Grover  of  Rumney  Marsh  were  married. 

1658.  Mary  of  John  Bowhonno  a  Scotchman  and  Moer  his  wife  &  Irishwoman 
born  May  9. 

James  Webster  a  Scotishman  &  Mary  Hay  an  Irish  maid  were  married  14th 
Feb. 

1659.  John  Morrell  an  Irishman  and  Lysbell  Morrell  an  Irishwoman  were 
married  31st  August  by  John  Endecott  Gov. 

1661.  John  Reylean  an  Irishman  &  Margaret  Brene  an  Irishwoman  were 
married  15th  March  by  John  Endecott  Governor. 

Bryan  Morfrey  an  Irishman  &  Margaret  Mayhoone  widow  were  married  20th 
July  by  John  Endecott  Governor. 

The  Christian  name  Bridget  occurs  frequently  in  families  whose 
names  give  no  suggestion  of  Irish  birth.  The  fact  that  these  marriages 

'Records,  1679,  p.  129.  2  Records,  167S,  p.  125. 

3  Including  Barry,  Collins,  Hay,  Healy,  Kelly,  Kenny,  McCarty,  McCue,  McLoughlin, 
Manning,  Morfrey  (Murphy?),  Mulligan,  Ockonnel  (God  save  the  mark!),  Pateson,  Rylee, 
Shannon. 


THE     COLONIAL    PERIOD.  23 

were  solemnized  by  magistrates  does  not  prove  that  the  contracting 
parties  were  not  Catholics,  when  we  consider  the  necessities  of  the 
times.  But  their  Catholicity  was  probably  in  most  cases  short-lived, 
as  has  been  before  remarked. 

Under  Cromwell's  government  many  Irish  people  were  sent  to 
New  England.  On  their  arrival  they  were  sold  as  servants  or  slaves, 
by  those  at  whose  charge  they  were  brought  here.  The  slavery  was 
only  temporary,  generally  for  four  years,  and  was  distinctly  under- 
stood to  be  in  direct  payment  for  the  trouble  and  expense  of  trans- 
porting them.1  In  1654  the  ship  "  Goodfellow,"  Capt.  George  Dell, 
arrived  at  Boston  with  a  large  number  of  Irish  immigrants,  that  were 
sold  into  service  to  such  of  the  inhabitants  as  needed  them.  It  is 
possible  that  this  is  the  episode  to  which  Cotton  Mather  refers  as  one 
of  the  "  formidable  Attempts  of  Satan  and  his  Sons  to  Unsettle  us." 

After  working  out  their  service  these  immigrants  had  a  tolerably 
even  chance  to  succeed  in  life,  especially  if  they  joined  some  one  of 
the  churches  here  established  and  recognized.  While  many  of  them 
did  not  do  so,  it  is  very  evident  from  the  church  records  that  some 
of  them  did. 

To  this  period  belongs  the  following  petition,  addressed  to  the 
authorities  of  the  province,  the  original  of  which  is  to  be  found  in 
the  Massachusetts  archives :  — 

The  petition  of  Ann  Glyn  and  Jane  Hunter  Spinsters  Humbly  Sheweth  : 
That  your  Petire  lately  arrived  at  Boston  from  Dublin  in  Ireland  in  the  Brig- 
anteen  Ann  &  Rebecca  whereof  Thomas  Hendry  is  Master  That  in  Dublin  aforsd 
your  Peti1^  agreed  to  Serve  the  Said  Hendry  the  Term  of  Four  years  he  Transporting 
them  to  Boston  and  he  also  agreeing  to  provide  for  and  give  unto  your  Petitioners 
each  of  them  a  New  Suit  of  Cloaths  for  all  parts  of  their  Bodys  which  were  Accord- 
ingly provided  in  Dublin  and  brought  over  here  and  since  your  Peti™  are  disposed  of 
the  said  Mr  Hendry  witholds  from  and  refuses  to  deliver  unto  your  Petirs  their 
Cloaths  according  to  his  promise  &  Agreement. 

Your  Petitioners  therefore  humbly  pray  your  honours  Consideration  of  the 
premises  and  that  the  said  Master  Hendry  may  be  Directed  to  deliver  unto  your 
Petitioners  their  Cloaths  according  to  his  promise  and  agreement. 

ANN   GLYN  X  signum. 
JANE    HUNTER  X  signum. 

1  Randolph's  report  in  the  Hutchinson  papers. 


24  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

Hendry  was  ordered  to  appear  before  the  provincial  authorities 
and  show  cause  for  his  retention  of  the  emigrants'  property. 

It  was  also  the  practice  for  some  daring  pirates  to  kidnap  men 
at  the  English,  Scotch,  or  Irish  ports,  and  sell  them  to  the  Americans. 
Some  of  these  waifs  may  have  found  their  way  to  Boston.  Moreover, 
English  criminals  were  systematically  sold  to  the  colonists.1  As  late 
as  1736  the  brigantine  "  Bootle,"  Capt.  Robert  Boyd  commanding, 
sailed  from  Cork  for  Virginia,  with  nineteen  transports.  He  touched 
at  Boston  in  August,  but  the  selectmen  promptly  had  him  before 
them,  and  made  him  promise  he  would  not  let  them  "  come  on  Shoar," 
but  would  keep  a  strict  watch  on  board  his  vessel  to  prevent  their 
escape.  It  was  on  this  ship  that  William  Stewart  came,  who  is  men- 
tioned as  one  of  the  early  members  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society. 

1  Statute  of  the  reign  of  George  I.  [4  Geo.  I.,  c.  xi.],  referred  to  in  Lecky's  "  Eng- 
land in  the  XVIIIth  Century,"  p.  12. 


THE    IRISH    WITCH.  25 


CHAPTER   II. 


THE   IRISH   WITCH. 


THE  saddest  tale  we  find  in  all  American  history  is  that  of  the 
witchcraft  delusion  that  prevailed  in  Massachusetts  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  belief  in  the  actual  existence 
of  imps,  witches,  and  embodied  devils,  and  of  their  power  to  influence, 
not  only  the  mental,  but  also  the  bodily,  sufferings  of  their  victims, 
was  as  wide  as  Christianity  itself.  "  The  defenders  of  the  belief,  who 
were  often  men  of  great  and  distinguished  talent,  maintained  that 
there  was  no  fact  in  history  more  fully  attested,  and  that  to  reject  it 
would  be  to  strike  at  the  root  of  all  historical  evidence  of  the  miracu- 
lous." 1  One  Matthew  Hopkins,  in  England,  is  to  be  credited  with 
the  invention  of  a  system  of  "proving"  witchcraft  that  was  every- 
where approved  and  adopted  by  the  prosecuting  officers.  Eminent 
counsel  and  learned  divines  gave  attendance  at  trials  of  suspected 
witches  to  see  that  "no  fraud  or  wrong"  was  done  them.  Accord- 
ing to  the  law-books  of  the  time  "these  witches  have,  ordinarily,  a 
familiar,  or  spirit,  which  appeareth  to  them  in  the  shape  of  a  man, 
woman,  boy,  dog,  cat,  foal,  hare,  rat,  toad,  etc.  Their  said  familiar 
hath  some  big  or  little  teat  upon  their  (the  witch's)  body,  and  in  some 
secret  place,  where  he  sucketh  them.  And  besides  their  sucking, 
the  devil  leaveth  other  marks  upon  their  body,  sometimes  like  a  blue 
or  red  spot,  like  a  flea-biting,  sometimes  the  flesh  sunk  in  and  hollow, 
all  which  may  for  a  time  be  covered,  yea,  taken  away,  but  will  come 
out  again  in  their  old  form."  Torture  and  indignity  is  not  only 
hinted  at,  but  even  specifically  enjoined.  The  justices  of  the  peace 
are  reminded  that  the  devil's  marks  "being  pricked  will  not  bleed,  and 
be  often  in  their  secretest  parts,  and  therefore  require  diligent  and 
careful  search." 

1  W.  E.  H.  Lecky,  Hist,  of  Rationalism,  p.  38. 


26  THE    IRISH    IX    BOSTON. 

There  was  a  set  method  of  "watching"  for  the  appearance  of  the 
witch's  imp.  "  She  is  placed  in  the  middle  of  a  room  upon  a  stool 
or  table,  cross-legged,  or  in  some  uneasy  posture,  to  which,  if  she 
submits  not,  she  is  bound  with  cords.  She  is  there  watched,  and  kept 
without  meat  or  sleep  for  the  space  of  four  and  twenty  hours,  —  for  they 
say  within  that  time  they  shall  see  her  imp  come  and  suck.  A  little 
hole  is  likewise  made  in  the  door  for  the  imps  to  come  in  at."  To 
comfort  the  magistrate  for  any  uncertainty,  he  is  reminded  that  he 
"may  not  always  expect  direct  evidence,  seeing  all  their  works  are 
the  works  of  darkness." 

Solely  upon  such  evidence  as  could  be  obtained  by  these  in- 
human practices,  and  without  any  of  the  fables  as  to  actual  injury  of 
others,  such  as  were  common  and  accepted  in  later  cases,  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet Jones,  a  kindly  and  sympathetic  woman,  was  condemned,  and, 
in  spite  of  earnest  appeals  and  avowals  of  innocence,  was  hanged  on 
June  15,  1648.  The  second  victim  in  Boston,  Mary  Parsons,  con- 
fessed to  the  murder  of  her  own  child  by  witchcraft.  She  was  un- 
doubtedly insane. 

The  devil-fear  that  seized  upon  colonial  society  at  this  time 
spared  nobody.  Of  course  the  ignorant  and  the  poor,  with  small 
chance  to  hide  their  personal  peculiarities,  were  most  often  victims ; 
but  the  upper  ten  furnished  their  quota  too.  Mrs.  Ann  Hibbins  was 
one  of  these.  Of  excellent  family  herself,  and  wealthy,  her  husband 
had  been  one  of  the  judges  that  sat  at  the  condemnation  of  Mrs. 
Jones.  She  was  widowed  now,  and  had  suffered  many  misfortunes ; 
her  infirmities,  and  even  her  wit,  were  turned  as  evidence  against  her. 
She  was  executed  June  5,  1656. 

The  fourth  victim  was  after  the  witch-hunter's  own  heart.  She 
was  old,  and  ignorant,  and  poor.  She  spoke  a  strange  tongue,  and 
in  secret  she  practised  the  rites  of  her  childhood's  religion.  She 
was  superstitious  herself,  and  in  the  crazy  terror  of  the  time  she  lost 
her  poor  old  addled  wits :   she  thought  herself  a  witch,  too. 

In  the  midsummer  of  16S8,  four  of  the  children  of  John  Good- 
win, a  mason  living  in  Boston,  began  to  be  afflicted  with  unaccount- 
able pains.     Martha,  the  eldest,  was  thirteen  years  old,  John  eleven, 


THE    IRISH     WITCH.  27 

Mercy  seven,  and  Benjamin  five.  These  children  were  well  brought 
up,  and  were  "  thought  to  be  without  guile."  The  exhibitions  that 
they  furnished  to  the  wondering  community  would  have  delighted  a 
medium  or  a  "Christian  scientist"  of  the  present  day.  They  had 
pain  in  their  heads,  teeth,  eyes,  tongue ;  their  necks  were  breaking, 
their  backs,  their  knees,  their  toes ;  their  cries  were  piteous  and 
shrill,  and  the  shifting  of  the  pain  from  one  part  to  another  was  con- 
stant and  inexplicable.  The  most  curious  feature  of  their  symptoms 
was  the  fact  that  the  same  part  was  affected,  in  each  of  the  party,  at 
the  same  time,  so  that  they  changed  their  yells  and  gestures  simul- 
taneously, like  soldiers  at  drill.  The  pains  lasted  an  hour  or  more,  and 
when  it  was  over  the  children  acted  naturally,  as  at  other  times.  The 
family  had  physicians  examine  the  children,  but  no  reasonable  cause 
could  be  found  for  their  disease ;  so  witchcraft  was  suspected.  The 
cause  was  then  sought  for,  and  it  was  remembered  that  some  weeks 
before,  Martha  had  missed  some  of  the  family  linen,  and  had  charged 
a  certain  laundress  with  taking  it  away.  Governor  Hutchinson  says 
"  the  mother  of  the  laundress  was  one  of  the  wild  Irish,  of  bad  char- 
acter, and  gave  the  girl  harsh  language."  Soon  after  this  the  "  dis- 
temper "  came  upon  her,  and  extended  to  her  sister  and  her  two 
brothers.  There  was  also  an  older  brother,  and  a  little  baby  at  the 
breast,  but  these  were  not  seriously  affected.  The  only  persons  that 
had  absolutely  no  sign  of  the  disorder  were  the  little  baby  and  the 
father  of  the  family.  The  ministers  appointed  a  day  of  fasting  and 
prayer  with  the  Goodwin  family,  and  after  this  the  youngest  recov- 
ered. But  the  others  obtained  no  relief,  and  finally  the  magistrates 
apprehended  the  two  women,  the  laundress  and  her  mother.  Their 
name  was  Glover. 

On  being  brought  into  court,  Mrs.  Glover  spoke  only  Irish,  so  that 
her  testimony  may  have  been  misunderstood ;  and  it  is  well  to  bear 
this  fact  in  mind.  It  was  said,  though,  that  she  spoke  English  in  her 
family,  and  was  perfectly  able  to  converse  in  that  tongue ;  her  refus- 
ing to  do  so  was  regarded  as  an  additional  proof  that  she  was  under 
the  devil's  influence.  During  the  confinement  of  these  poor  women, 
the  Goodwin  children  remained  well  while  out  of  their  own  house ; 


28  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

but  on  returning  to  it  they  were  vexed  as  before.  They  were  therefore 
bestowed  at  the  houses  of  neighbors.  The  good  people  of  the  time 
"  could  not  but  think  the  devil  had  a  hand  in  it  by  some  instrument." 

Goody  Glover's  house  was  searched  while  she  was  on  trial,  and 
several  small  "  puppets  or  babies,"  made  of  rags  and  stuffed  with 
goat's  hair,  were  found  and  brought  to  the  court.  Through  the  "  two 
honest  men  "  that  acted  as  her  interpreters,  she  acknowledged  that 
her  way  of  tormenting  the  objects  of  her  malice  was  to  wet  the  top 
of  her  finger  with  spittle  and  stroke  these  little  images.  As  she  il- 
lustrated her  method  to  the  Court,  a  child  in  the  room  was  taken 
with  fits.  On  repeating  the  experiment,  the  same  result  followed. 
When  she  was  asked  if  she  had  no  one  to  stand  by  her,  she  replied 
in  the  affirmative;  but  looking  up  "very  pertly,"  she  cried  out,  "No, 
he's  gone  !  "  She  then  confessed  that  there  was  one,  her  prince> 
whose  relations  to  her  do  not  clearly  appear  in  the  evidence.  In  the 
night  she  was  heard  soundly  rating  one  that  she  called  a  devil,  for 
basely  deserting  her,  and  she  said  'twas  for  that  cause  she  had  con- 
fessed all. 

Cotton  Mather  visited  her  twice  as  she  lay  in  prison,  and  ex- 
horted her  to  abandon  her  covenant  with  hell.  To  him  also  she 
spoke  only  Irish.  Her  interpreters  told  him  that  the  Irish  word  for 
spirits  was  the  same  as  for  saints.  He  understood  her  not  to  deny 
her  guilt  of  witchcraft,  but  he  got  very  little  from  her  about  her 
meetings  with  her  confederates.  She  gave  Mr.  Mather  the  names  of 
four  persons  who  were  associated  with  her  in  her  uncanny  dealings, 
but  he  kept  them  to  himself,  from  a  wholesome  fear  of  "  wronging 
the  reputation  of  the  innocent  by  stories  not  enough  inquired  into." 
She  did  not  answer  many  of  his  questions,  and  she  refused  to  pray  or 
be  prayed  for,  because  her  spirits  or  saints  would  not  give  her  leave. 
In  regard  to  abandoning  her  supposed  bargain  with  the  devil,  she  re- 
plied that  he  "  spoke  a  very  reasonable  thing,  but  she  could  not  do 
it."  She  could  not  repeat  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  English,  even  when  it 
was  repeated  to  her  line  by  line,  but  made  ridiculous  nonsense  of 
it.  She  knew  it  in  Latin,  however,  but  there  was  one  part  of  it  that 
she  could  not  say,  for  some  reason  or  other. 


THE    IRISH    WITCH.  29 

If  it  were  not  for  the  rag-babies  and  her  tricks  with  them,  it 
might  be  thought  that  her  supposed  confession  was  a  gigantic  mis- 
take, due  to  her  testifying  only  through  interpreters  to  prejudiced 
judges.  But  there  was  no  other  way  of  accounting  for  her  use  of 
the  images  than  the  way  that  all  tradition  justified.  And  again,  there 
was  a  quantity  of  additional  evidence,  of  an  entirely  different  char- 
acter from  that  which  caused  the  death  of  Mrs.  Jones,  the  first  Boston 
witch,  forty  years  before.  A  woman  named  Hughes  testified  that 
Goody  Glover  had  bewitched  to  death  a  Mrs.  Howen  about  six  years 
before ;  and  further,  that  when  the  Hughes  woman  was  preparing  to 
testify,  her  son  was  taken  with  the  same  disorders  that  afflicted  the 
Goodwin  children.  She  said  that  she  remonstrated  with  the  witch, 
who  replied  that  the  boy's  suffering  was  in  retaliation  for  what  the 
Hughes  woman  had  done  to  herself  and  daughter.  Hughes  denied 
having  injured  her,  and  she  relented.  She  looked  kindly  on  the  lad  as 
she  passed  him  in  the  court-room,  and  he  was  never  troubled  there- 
after. The  reliability  of  this  witness  may  be  estimated  by  her  testi- 
mony, that  in  former  times  she  had  often  seen  Goody  Glover  come 
down  the  chimney. 

The  witch  was  examined  by  several  physicians,  who  kept  her  in 
conversation  for  five  or  six  hours.  Their  conclusion  was  that  she 
was  sane.  So  she  was  sentenced  to  be  hanged.  On  the  16th  of 
November,  1688,  she  was  drawn  in  a  cart,  a  hated  and  dreaded 
figure,  chief  in  importance,  stared  at  and  mocked  at,  through  the 
principal  streets  from  her  prison  to  the  gallows.  As  she  went  she 
prophesied  the  children  should  have  no  relief  from  her  death.  It 
was  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  procession  was  marshalled  in 
due  form,  with  judges  and  constables,  and  as  it  passed  the  window  of 
Judge  Sewall  he  was  attracted  by  the  tumult,  and  after  watching  it 
pass  he  made  an  entry  in  his  diary  of  the  death  of  the  Widow 
Glover.  The  people  crowded  to  see  the  end,  as  always ;  and  when 
it  was  over  they  quietly  dispersed,  leaving  the  worn-out  body  hang- 
ing as  a  terror  to  evil-doers.1 

'The  usual  place  of  execution  was  in  the  easterly  part  of  the  South  Burying-ground,  a 
fragment  of  which  is  still  in  existence  on  Washington  street.  The  gallows  was  placed  near 
the  shore,  not  far  from  the  present  site  of  the  City  Hospital,  and  its  gloomy  presence  gave  to 
what  is  now  known  as  the  South  Bay  the  name  of  Gallows  Bay. 


30  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

We  can  imagine  the  distress  of  the  daughter,  herself  suspected 
of  witchcraft,  alone  and  friendless  in  the  midst  of  a  stern  people. 
She  thought  her  mother  guilty ;  she  heard  the  voices  of  the  imps  as 
the  November  winds  whistled  through  the  trees,  or  saw  them  frisk 
in  the  lengthening  shadow  that  swung  slowly  to  and  fro  on  the 
beach.  The  children,  whose  ailments  and  whose  testimony  had 
doomed  the  old  woman  that  hung  there  dead,  were  to  live  each  a 
long  life ;  did  they  ever  in  secret  question  their  hearts  for  the  truth 
of  that  sad  history?  If  they  did,  no  whisper  of  it  reached  the  outer 
world,  and  they  lived  and  died  in  the  odor  of  sanctity. 

Cotton  Mather  has  frequently  been  referred  to  as  the  chief 
agent  in  this  ferocious  persecution.  On  the  contrary,  it  will  appear 
to  any  fair-minded  investigator  that,  though  he  fully  believed  in  the 
reality  of  witches  and  witchcraft,  he  was  always  earnestly  in  favor  of 
combating  them,  so  far  as  possible,  by  prayer  and  fasting,  and  re- 
peatedly interfered  to  urge  humane  counsels.  To  his  moderation 
and  good  sense  it  is  undoubtedly  due  that  the  names  mentioned  by 
the  crazed  old  woman  whose  troubles  we  have  just  sketched  did  not 
lead  to  further  excitement  and  other  judicial  murders.  His  character 
is  not  such  as  the  older  narratives  of  the  witchcraft  period  would 
have  us  believe ;  his  harshness  was  only  toward  the  devils,  but  he 
tried  at  all  times  to  show  gentleness  and  compassion  to  those  pos- 
sessed by  them.1 

1  See  Mem.  Hist.  Bost.  ii.,  156. 


THE    CHARITABLE   IRISH   SOCIETY.  31 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE   CHARITABLE   IRISH   SOCIETY. 

THE  earliest  association  of  Irishmen  in  Boston  was  the  Charitable 
Irish  Society,  whose  organization  on  St.  Patrick's  day,  in 
1737,  was  mentioned  above.  The  following  extracts  from  the  records 
of  the  Society  at  that  time  will  serve  to  establish  its  character  and  that 
of  its  founders  :  — 

Whereas;  Several  Gentlemen,  Merchants  and  Others,  of  the  Irish  Nation 
residing  in  Boston,  in  New  England,  from  an  Affectionate  and  Compassionate  con- 
cern for  their  countrymen  in  these  Parts,  who  may  be  reduced  by  Sickness,  Ship- 
wrack,  Old  age  and  other  Infirmities  and  unforeseen  Accidents,  Have  thought  fitt  to 
form  themselves  into  a  Charitable  Society,  for  the  relief  of  such  their  poor  and  indi- 
gent Countrymen,  without  any  Design  of  not  contributing  towards  the  Provision  of 
the  Town  Poor  in  general  as  usual.  And  the  said  Society  being  now  in  its  Minority, 
it  is  to  be  hoped  and  expected,  that  all  Gentlemen,  Merchts  and  others  of  the  Irish 
Nation,  or  Extraction,  residing  in,  or  trading  to  these  Parts,  who  are  lovers  of 
Charity  and  their  Countrymen,  will  readily  come  into  and  give  their  Assistance  to  so 
laudable  an  undertaking ;  and  for  the  due  Regulation  and  Management  of  said  in- 
tended Charity,  the  Society,  on  the  17th  day  of  March,  in  the  Year  1737,  agreed  on 
the  following  Rules  and  Orders. 

I.  This  Charity  is  intended  and  to  be  appropriated  to  and  for  the  Relief  of 
Poor,  aged,  and  infirm  Persons,  and  such  as  have  been  reduced  by  Sickness,  Ship- 
wrack,  and  other  accidental  Misfortunes,  Contributers,  who  may  by  such  Misfortunes 
become  Objects  to  be  always  first  preferred. 

II.  All  persons  of  evil  Fame  or  Repute,  are  to  [be]  excluded  as  unworthy 
this  Charity,  and  also  all  Persons  reduced  in  other  Countries  and  having  suffered  no 
Misfortune  in  their  Passage  hither  shall  not  be  deemed  Objects  of  this  Charity ;  and 
all  Irish  Men,  or  of  Irish  Extraction,  being  capable  and  invited  to  joyn  in  this 
Charitable  undertaking,  and  refusing  the  same,  are  to  be  for  ever  excluded  the  Benefit 
thereof. 

The  names  of  the  twenty-six  original  members  of  this  Society  are 
as  follows :  Robert  Duncan,  Andrew  Knox,  Nathaniel  Walsh,  Joseph 


32  THE    IRISH   IN  BOSTON. 

St.  Lawrence,  Daniel  McFfall,  Edward  Allen,  William  Drummond, 
William  Freeland,  Daniel  Gibbs,  John  Noble,  Adam  Boyd,  William 
Stewart,  Daniel  Neal,  James  Mayes,  Samuel  Moor,  Philip  Mortimer, 
James  Egart,  George  Glen,  Peter  Pelham,  John  Little,  Archibald 
Thomas,  Edward  Alderchurch,  James  Clark,  John  Clark,  Thomas 
Bennett,  and  Patrick  Walker. 

Of  some  of  these  members  nothing  is  known.  Joseph  St.  Law- 
rence was  only  recently  come  into  the  town  ;  in  the  selectmen's  record 
for  Sept.  28,  1737,  appears  the  following  note:  — 

"  Mr.  Joseph  St.  Lawrence  from  Ireland,  Merchant,  having  im- 
ported upwards  of  Fifty  Pounds  Sterling,  Prays  he  maybe  Allow'd  to 
Carry  on  his  Business  in  this  Town."  Nothing  further  is  said,  and  it 
is  presumed  he  was  admitted. 

There  was  an  Edward  Allen,  a  builder,  living  in  Marshall's  lane 
in  1789 ;  a  healthy  old  man,  if  he  was  the  same  one  that  was  present 
at  this  meeting. 

William  Freeland  may  possibly  have  been  the  same  as  William 
Fryland,  a  joiner  from  Ireland,  who  was  admitted  as  inhabitant  of  the 
town  September  9,  1730,  although  the  spelling  is  not  quite  near 
enough  to  warrant  certainty.  Spelling  even  of  proper  names  at  that 
time  was  in  a  chaotic  state.  Achmody  passed  for  a  fair  spelling  of 
Auchmuty,  while  Breck,  Bricke,  and  Brick  were  equivalent  forms,  and 
Mecarty  was  current  as  the  correct  thing  for  the  classic  McCarty. 

James  Mayes  was  accepted  as  bondsman  for  Robert  Henry,  a 
blacksmith  from  Ireland,  who  was  admitted  as  inhabitant  of  the 
town  August  5,  1 741.  The  selectmen  were  very  cautious  about  new 
arrivals,  lest  they  should  turn  out  to  be  of  no  account,  and  become 
an  expense  to  the  town.  The  law  of  the  Province  on  this  point  was 
very  strict,  and  forbade  a  citizen  of  the  town  to  receive  strangers  "  as 
inmates,  boarders,  or  tenants  ...  in  any  house  of  his  whatsoever 
within  this  Province  .  .  .  for  more  than  the  space  of  twenty  days," 
without  giving  an  account  thereof  to  the  town  authorities,  describing 
the  immigrants  and  their  circumstances  as  fully  as  possible.  Then 
no  persons,  except  those  holding  property  sufficient  to  ensure  free- 
dom from  want,  were  admitted  without  the  bond  of  some  inhabitant 


THE    CHARITABLE    IRISH   SOCIETY.  33 

to  secure  the  town  from  expense  if  the  new-comer  should  ever  be 
a  charge  on  it. 

Daniel  Gibbs  was  probably  Captain  Daniel  Gibbs,  of  the  ship 
"  Sagamore,"  who  brought  four  hundred  and  eight  passengers  from 
Ireland  in  this  same  year,  arriving  at  Boston  Sept.  7,  1737.  It  was 
doubtless  in  consequence  of  his  membership  that  the  qualification 
"  or  trading  to  these  parts  "  was  introduced  into  the  requirements  for 
membership,  as  stated  in  the  preamble  to  the  "  Rules  and  Orders." 

John  Noble  is  on  record  on  the  15  th  of  October,  1740,  as  giving 
bond  with  Arthur  Noble  for  the  latter's  wife  and  two  children  in  the 
sum  of  .£200.  This  family  came  from  the  colony  of  Georgetown,  in 
Virginia.  Arthur  Noble  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Charitable 
Irish  Society  in  July  of  this  same  year.  In  1796  he  lived  on  Han- 
over street,  corner  Friend  street. 

William  Stewart  was  a  cooper,  who  came  from  Ireland  with  his 
wife  and  two  children  in  1736.  Joshua  Winslow  had  engaged  to  be 
responsible  for  him,  but  finally  he  got  Peter  Curtice,  a  teamster,  and 
Robert  Dunlop,  a  laborer,  to  be  his  bondsmen. 

Thomas  Bennett  was  a  "  retaylor  of  strong  drink." 

John  Little  came  here  in  1722,  and  was  so  little  known  or  ap- 
preciated that  the  selectmen  warned  him  to  "  depart  out  of  this 
town,"  as  was  the  custom  in  cases  where  a  new-comer  had  not  much 
property  nor  any  friends  to  pledge  themselves  for  him.  But  he 
seems  to  have  satisfied  their  doubts,  for  we  soon  after  find  them 
urging  him  to  serve  the  town  in  one  way  and  another,  while  he  was 
trying  in  every  way  to  get  rid  of  it.  He  was  chosen  constable  in 
1 73 1,  and  excused  by  the  town-meeting;  again  in  1732,  and  he 
asked  to  be  relieved.  In  1733  he  was  chosen  hogreeve,  and  he  paid 
to  be  let  off,  in  accordance  with  the  custom  still  prevailing  in  town 
governments,  to  accept  money  as  an  equivalent  for  public  service. 
It  is  evident  that  his  prosperity  was  no  longer  open  to  question. 

William  Hall  was  president  of  the  Society  in  1766,  and  was  the 
first  to  have  his  name  on  the  records  in  that  capacity.  He  served 
the  town  as  constable  in  1730.  With  John  Carr  and  Capt.  James 
Finney  he  "  executed  a  bond  of  the  penalty  of  six  hundred  pounds 


34  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

to  indemnify  the  town  on  account  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-two 
passengers  imported  by  the  said  Finney  in  the  Snow x  Charming 
Molly,  November  7,  1737." 

George  Glen  was  a  tailor.  He  had  come  from  South  Carolina 
in  171 8,  and  was  also  warned  to  depart  the  town  by  the  selectmen; 
but  he  did  not  go,  for  we  find  him  in  1742  in  trouble  for  having  in 
his  house  David  Watts,  his  wife  and  two  children, "  from  Topsham  at 
the  Eastward."  They  had  been  there  about  a  month,  and  were  like 
to  become  a  town  charge.  It  was  voted  by  the  selectmen  to  prose- 
cute Glen  for  not  having  informed  of  his  receiving  them  into  his 
house,  according  to  law. 

Robert  Duncan  was  a  constable  in  1740  and  1741.  With 
two  others  he  was  on  a  bond  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
in  1745. 

The  Clark  family  were  numerous  and  prominent  in  Boston,  but 
the  John  and  James  here  mentioned  were  probably  of  different 
stock.  There  was  a  James  Clark  in  1736  belonging  to  the  engine 
company  in  the  building  next  to  the  old  North  Church. 

Peter  Pelham  was  a  painter  and  engraver,  and  the  father  of  fine 
arts  in  New  England.  He  was  in  London  in  1722;  in  1727  he  en- 
graved a  portrait  of  Cotton  Mather  from  a  painting  by  himself.  In 
1734  he  had  already  commenced  a  school;  but  in  1737,  fearing 
probably  to  incur  somebody's  displeasure  by  the  teaching  of  such 
vanity  as  dancing,  he  applied  to  the  selectmen  for  "  Liberty  to  Open 
a  School  in  this  Town  for  the  Education  of  children  in  Reading, 
Writing,  Needlework,  Dancing,  and  the  Art  of  Painting  upon  Glass, 
&c."  The  petition  was  read  and  granted  "  While  he  continues  to 
regulate  the  same  in  Conformity  to  the  Laws  of  this  Province,  and 
has  the  Approbation  of  the  Select  men  of  the  Town  for  the  time 
being."  With  this  authoritative  license  he  felt  safe  to  advertise  his 
accomplishments  to  all  "  Gentlemen  and  Ladies  in  Town  and 
Country." 

His  places  of  abode  were  various ;   he  seems  to  have  led  a  very 

1  A  "  snow  "  was  a  vessel  having  main  and  foremasts  like  a  ship,  and  a  smaller  mast  aft 
carrying  a  trysail. 


THE    CHARITABLE    IRISH   SOCIETY.  35 

unsettled  life.  In  1734  he  lived  near  the  Town  Dock;1  here  he  ad- 
vertised his  household  goods  for  sale,  as  he  was  about  to  break  up 
housekeeping.  In  February,  1738,  he  lived  on  Summer  street.  In 
1742  he  lived  in  Leverett's  lane  (now  Congress  street).  In  1747  he 
kept  his  school  on  Queen  (now  Court  street).  Finally,  after  his 
second  marriage,  in  1748,  he  lived  in  "  Lindel's  row,"  2  till  his  death, 
in  1751. 

As  to  his  origin,  there  is  nothing  outside  of  his  own  description 
of  himself,  in  the  Rules  and  Orders  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society,  as 
"  of  the  Irish  Nation  residing  in  Boston."  It  has  been  conjectured 
that  his  father  was  Peter  Pelham,  an  English  engraver,  born  about 
1684.  But  the  father  of  the  New  England  artist  had  sat  for  his  pict- 
ure at  eighty,  and  "  there  never  was  so  handsome,  so  charming  a 
man  at  that  age  as  he  was ;  "  and  he  must  have  died  before  March 
13,  1 76 1,  because  a  letter  from  his  daughter  Helen,  to  Charles  Pel- 
ham,  a  son  by  the  first  wife,  mentions  the  death  of  the  grandfather 
as  a  fact  already  known,  and  also  that  the  date  given  above  was  that 
of  her  last  previous  letter.  Besides  the  fact  of  Peter  Pelham's  mem- 
bership in  that  famous  first  meeting  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society, 
the  family  interest  in  Irish  affairs  is  noteworthy.  Henry  Pelham,  the 
son  of  Peter  by  his  second  wife,  and  half-brother  to  Copley,  the 
famous  artist,  engraved  a  mezzotint  of  the  Countess  of  Desmond,  and 
was  very  much  interested  in  the  antiquities  of  Kerry.  He  intended 
to  publish  a  history  of  that  county,  but  was  cut  off  by  accidental 
death. 

But  by  far  the  most  striking  circumstance  in  this  connection  is 
the  marriage  of  Peter  Pelham,  the  founder  of  the  Irish  Society,  with 
the  widow  of  Richard  Copley.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Squire 
Singleton,  of  Ireland,  and  had  been  married  in  Limerick.  They 
came  to  Boston,  and  John  Singleton  Copley  was  born  to  them  July 
3,  1737.  Richard  Copley  died,  and  his  widow  for  some  time  kept  a 
tobacco  store  on  Long  Wharf,  "  selling  the  best  Virginia  Tobacco, 
Cut,  Pigtail,  and  Spun,  of  all  sorts,  by  Wholesale  and  Retail,  at  the 

1  Where  Faneuil  Hall  now  stands;  Dock  square  was  at  the  head  of  it. 
*  Properly  Lindall's  lane,  now  Exchange  place. 


36  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

cheapest  rates."  In  1748  Pelham,  who  had  probably  lost  his  wife  in 
1734,  when  he  "broke  up  housekeeping,"  married  the  widow  Copley. 
He  continued  his  school-teaching  and  she  her  shop. 

John  Singleton  Copley,  the  future  artist,  probably  learned  as 
much  from  his  step-father  as  his  time  would  permit.  We  may  well 
guess,  that  between  the  teaching  and  the  engraving  and  painting  of 
pictures,  little  was  told  of  the  secrets  of  art  in  the  three  and  a  half 
years  that  Pelham  lived,  and  Copley  afterwards  vainly  regretted  the 
lack  of  proper  instruction  in  his  early  years.  But  in  1753  he  engraved 
a  portrait  of  Rev.  Wm.  Welsteed  that  is  said  to  show  traces  of  Pel- 
ham's  teaching.  His  masterpiece  was  a  portrait  of  his  half-brother 
Henry  Pelham,  whose  death  in  Ireland  is  mentioned  above.  The 
picture  is  called  the  "  Boy  and  the  Squirrel."  1  It  was  sent  to  Eng- 
land in  1774,  and,  owing  to  the  miscarriage  of  an  accompanying 
letter,  its  author  was  for  a  time  unknown ;  but  it  was  received  enthu- 
siastically by  the  best  judges  of  art  in  England,  and  its  phenomenal 
success  finally  drew  the  young  artist  to  that  country,  where  he  was 
joined  in  a  few  years  by  his  family.     He  never  returned  to  America. 

His  best  pictures  were  painted  here.  One  of  his  later  paintings, 
executed  in  England,  that  of  "  King  Charles  I.  demanding  in  the 
House  of  Commons  the  five  impeached  members,  1641,"  is  in  the 
Boston  Public  Library. 

Robert  Auchmuty,  father  and  son,  members  of  the  Charitable 
Irish  Society  in  the  years  that  preceded  the  Revolution,  were  learned 
lawyers,  and  their  influence  was  felt  in  the  progressive  tendency  of 
the  town.  The  elder  Robert  was  instrumental  in  bringing  about  the 
expedition  for  the  capture  of  Louisburg.  The  house  is  still  standing 
which  was  built  about  1761  by  the  younger  Auchmuty,  and  where 
the  secret  council  of  British  officers  —  Bernard,  Hutchinson,  Hallow- 
ell,  and  the  rest  of  them  —  met  to  discuss  the  inconvenient  privileges 
granted  by  the  provincial  charter,  and  the  feasibility  of  frightening 
the  colonists  into  submission.  The  father  was  distinguished  for 
wit  and  learning ;  he  was  short  in  stature,  of  crabbed  manner,  and 
with  a  squeaky  voice.     The  son  rose  into  prominence  in  his  profes- 

1  This  picture  is  now  in  Boston. 


THE    CHARITABLE    IRISH  SOCIETY.  37 

sion,  but  died  an  exile  in  London,  in  1788.  The  family  were  tories. 
They  are  called  Scotch  by  the  cyclopaedias,  but  the  elder  Robert  was 
for  three  years  president  of  the  Society,  and  its  rule  as  to  nationality 
has  already  been  mentioned. 

Capt.  William  Mackay  —  described  as  "gentleman"  (i.e.,  not 
engaged  in  business),  in  the  Directory  of  1789  —  lived  on  Fish  street,1 
and  was  appointed  in  1772  on  a  committee  to  draw  up  a  statement  of 
the  colony's  rights  and  grievances.  He  succeeded  Robert  Auchmuty 
in  the  presidency  of  the  Society,  and  continued  to  hold  that  office  till 
succeeded  by  Simon  Elliot,  in  1788.  During  the  revolutionary 
period  he  enjoyed  to  the  fullest  extent  the  confidence  of  his  towns- 
people, serving  on  many  committees  for  various  purposes.  Among 
other  things  he  was  a  member  of  the  "  Committee  of  correspondence, 
safety,  and  inspection,"  appointed  by  the  town  in  1776. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Society  held  in  October,  1784,  the  first  after 
the  Revolutionary  war,  the  president,  William  Mackay,  made  an 
address,  which  was  placed  on  the  records,  and  is  as  follows :  — 

Gent™  Members  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society  I  congratulate  you  on  this 
Joyful  Occasion,  that  we  are  assembled  again  after  Ten  years  absence  occasioned  by 
a  Dreadful  and  Ruinous  war  of  near  Eight  years ;  also  that  we  have  Conquered  One 
of  the  greatest  and  most  potent  Nations  in  on  the  Globe  so  far  as  to  have  peace  and 
Independency.  May  our  friends,  Countrymen  in  Ireland,  Behave  like  the  Brave 
Americans  till  they  recover  their  Liberties. 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  tory  members  of  the  Society  — 
and  they  were  neither  few  nor  petty  —  had  been  weeded  out,  and 
the  president  was  speaking  to  loyal  citizens  of  the  new  republic. 
The  Scots'  Charitable  Society  had  absconded  in  a  body  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Revolution,  carrying  off  their  Society  records  to 
Halifax.  They  reorganized  in  Boston,  and  were  incorporated  with 
eleven  members,  in  1786.     Mr.  William  Mackay  was  dead  in  1801. 

Capt.  John  Mackay  was  master  of  the  schooner  "Margaret;" 
he  was  elected  into  the  Society  in  1791.  On  the  way  home  from 
Amsterdam,  in  1796,  with  a  valuable  cargo,  he  was  wrecked  in  Salem 

1  Now  North  street,  between  Cross  and  Fleet  streets. 


38  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

harbor,  during  a  blinding  snow-storm,  and  perished,  with  three  of 
his  crew. 

Capt.  Robert  Gardner  furnished  the  town  of  Boston  a  ship  to 
take  home  "a  true  account  of  the  horred  Massacre"  of  Nov.  5, 
1770.  This  gentleman's  interest  in  his  fellow-countrymen  appears 
from  the  records  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society.  At  his  instance, 
the  Society  voted,  in  1794,  a  sum  not  exceeding  £3  to  purchase 
school-books  for  poor  children  of  Irish  extraction.  Again,  in  1801 
he  advanced  money  from  his  own  purse  to  the  distressed  emigrants 
on  the  brigantine  "  Albicore,"  trusting  to  the  Society  to  repay  him. 
The  last  record  we  have  of  him  is  1812,  when  he  held  the  office  of 
treasurer  of  the  Society. 

James  Downing  (1737)  kept  a  lodging-house  in  Wing's  lane; 
in  1740  an  Irishwoman,  named  Abigail  Richardson,  was  lying  there, 
friendless  and  destitute,  and  near  her  time  of  travail,  and  from  there 
she  was  taken  to  the  poorhouse.  Thomas  Lawlor  (1739)  was  an 
innholder  or  retailer  of  spirits.  He  served  on  a  fire-engine  in  1741* 
and  as  constable  in  1749.  Rev.  William  McClennehan  (1741) 
was  not  of  Irish  birth.  He  was  a  colleague  of  Rev.  Thomas  Cheever 
in  the  meeting-house  at  Rumney  Marsh  (Chelsea),  and  was  said  to 
rival  Whitefield  for  eloquence.  In  1754  he  joined  the  Episcopal 
Church,  and  soon  went  to  England.  William  Moore  (1743)  was  a 
distiller;  he  served  the  town  as  fence-viewer  for  ten  years  (1745- 
1755).  In  1742  he  paid  for  release  from  the  duty  of  constable. 
Benjamin  Thompson  (1757)  was  a  coppersmith  of  some  means,  and 
lived  on  Orange  street.  Patrick  Tracy  (1737)  was  of  Newburyport, 
and  quite  successful.  John  McLane  (1768)  was  a  slater  on  Orange 
street.  In  1766  he  presented  a  bill  of  ^"82  to  the  town  for  repairs 
made  by  him  on  Faneuil  Hall.  He  was  a  secretary  of  the  Society. 
Capt.  Alexander  Wilson  (1768)  was  appointed  on  a  committee  of 
merchants  in  1779,  whose  duty  it  was  to  fix  prices  on  different 
commodities,  and  thus  relieve  the  distress  due  to  a  debased  cur- 
rency. Patrick  Conner  kept  a  livery  stable  and  boarding-house  at 
38  Marlboro'  street.  Henry  Pelham  (1774)  has  been  spoken  of 
before.     He  made  a  plan  of  Boston  in  1775,  a  tracing  of  which  is 


THE    CHARITABLE    IRISH   SOCIETY.  39 

reproduced  in  the  Evacuation  Memorial,  1876.  Gen.  Simon  Elliot, 
Jr.  (1791),  was  a  good  soldier,  and  for  a  long  time  prominent  in  the 
town.  Thomas  McDonough,  Esq.,  was  the  English  consul,  and 
lived  In  Oliver's  lane.  Andrew  Campbell  (1797)  was  a  school- 
master in  Leverett's  lane,  afterwards  on  Common  street.  Rev.  John 
Murray  (1797)  was  born  in  England,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Universalist  movement  in  America.  His  preaching 
excited  considerable  interest,  some  of  it  unfavorable  in  the  extreme; 
but  he  lived  to  enjoy  the  highest  esteem  of  all.  He  died  in  Boston, 
in  1815. 

Samuel  Bangs  (1769)  was  appointed  sealer  of  leather  by  the 
town  in  the  year  1769-70.  In  1789  he  appears  in  the  Directory  as 
a  cordwainer  (shoemaker)  on  Kilby  street.  Hugh  McDaniel  (1739) 
in  1758  was  a  lessee  of  one  of  the  town's  buildings,  and  paid  an  an- 
nual rent  of  about  £13. 

Some  of  the  members  of  the  Society,  as  has  been  said  before, 
sided  with  the  British ;  but  it  is  more  than  probable  that  these  lists 
of  the  proscribed  were  not  very  carefully  made,  and  that  on  general 
principles  the  name  of  a  man  would  be  inserted  if  he  had  simply  not 
been  active  in  the  colonial  cause.  At  any  rate,  names  of  members 
of  this  Society  are  to  be  found  in  the  lists  of  loyalists,  that,  after  the 
Revolution,  turn  up  in  Boston  citizens  in  good  and  regular  standing. 
Two  or  three  such  names,  that  happen  to  be  easily  reached,  are  here 
given;  they  occur  in  the  Directories  of  1789  and  1796,  after  having 
been  classed  with  the  refugees :  x  John  Bryant  was  a  trader  and  inn- 
holder  on  Eliot  street,  and  on  Exchange  lane ;  John  Magner  was  a 
smith  and  farrier,  first  on  Oliver's  dock,  afterwards  on  Lindell's  row; 
William  McNeil  had  a  rope-walk  (William  McNeil  &  Son)  in  Cow 
lane,  on  Fort  Hill. 

An  important  part  of  the  membership  of  the  Charitable  Irish 
Society  was  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Church,  established  in  Boston  in 
1727.  They  first  worshipped  in  a  building  which  had  been  a  barn 
on  the  corner  of  Berry  street  and  Long  lane  (now  Channing  and 
Federal  streets)  ;   and  this  unpretentious  building  served  them,  with 

1  Mem.  Hist.  Bost.,  iii.,  176-177. 


40  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

the  addition  of  a  couple  of  wings,  till  1744,  when  a  comfortable 
church  *  was  erected  that  bore  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  history  of 
the  town,  and  indeed  of  the  nation,  for  it  was  here  that  the  Massa- 
chusetts Convention  met  to  debate  the  Federal  Constitution,  and 
finally  to  accept  it,  Feb.  7,  1788;  and  to  this  fact  Federal  street  owes 
its  name.  Governor  Hancock  presented  to  the  new  building  the  bell 
and  vane  of  the  old  Brattle-street  meeting-house.  Their  first  pastor 
was  John  Moorhead,  who  was  born  near  Belfast,  in  Ireland,  in  1703, 
and  was  educated  at  one  of  the  Scotch  universities.  He  was 
described  as  a  forcible  preacher,  honest  and  blunt,  and  an  "  earnest 
and  enthusiastic  young  Irishman."  He  published  nothing,  but 
maintained  his  connection  with  the  church  till  his  death,  which 
occurred  just  at  the  beginning  of  the  struggle  for  American  Indepen- 
dence. He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society  in 
1739,  and  gave  them  sound  advice  upon  occasion.2  He  held  no 
office  in  the  Society.  Among  his  effects  at  his  death  was  "  a  likely 
negro  lad,"  to  be  sold  by  his  executor. 

Another  colony  of  the  same  class  of  Irish  immigrants  had  ar- 
rived in  1 717,  with  Capt.  Robert  Temple.  He  settled  at  Noddle's 
Island,3  where  he  had  a  mansion-house  that  "  contained  elegant 
rooms  suitable  for  the  reception  of  persons  of  the  first  condition." 

These  immigrants  were  not  very  cordially  received.  The  Know- 
nothing  spirit  was  already  abroad ;  or,  rather,  the  English  hatred  for 
the  nation  they  had  so  long  trodden  under  foot  followed  the  emi- 
grants that  fled  from  them  across  the  water.  But  when  the  Revolu- 
tion was  at  hand  such  an  unhesitating  stand  was  taken  by  the 
members  of  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Church,  and  by  other  prominent 
Irishmen,  that  the  coldness  disappeared,  and  a  cordial  regard  sprang 
up  for  Irish  valor  and  patriotism  that  found  its  reward  on  many 
battle-fields. 

The  charitable  work  of  the  Society  is  made  up  of  small  donations 
to  tide  over  special  emergencies,  and  is  not,  in  general,  of  such  a  sort 

1  For  the  curious  inscription  on  its  columns,  see  Snow,  "  History  of  Boston,"  p.  222 ; 
for  Dr.  Channing's  intelligible  arrangement  of  it,  see  Drake,  p.  576. 

2  Extracts  from  the  Records,  p.  27.  3  East  Boston. 


JAMES    BOYD. 


THE    CHARITABLE    IRISH   SOCIETY.  41 

that  any  display  could  be  made  of  it ;  still  there  are  occasional  con- 
tributions of  five  hundred  or  a  thousand  dollars  at  a  time.  The 
Society  is  not  rich.  If  it  had  been  wisely  managed  at  its  origin,  its 
age  would,  by  this  time,  have  made  it  wealthy.  A  very  large  fraction 
of  the  annual  income  goes  towards  celebrating  the  anniversary  of  St. 
Patrick,  and  satisfying  the  natural  longing  of  Irishmen  for  the  society 
of  their  countrymen. 

One  of  the  most  notable  events  in  the  history  of  the  Society 
was  its  visit,  in  a  body,  to  Andrew  Jackson,  President  of  the  United 
States,  at  the  Tremont  House,  June  22,  1833.  In  reply  to  an  address 
of  welcome  by  Mr.  James  Boyd,  on  behalf  of  the  Society,  Jackson 
said  :  — 

I  feel  much  gratified,  sir,  at  this  testimony  of  respect  shown  me  by  the  Chari- 
table Irish  Society  of  this  city.  It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  I  see  so  many  of  the 
countrymen  of  my  father  assembled  on  this  occasion.  I  have  always  been  proud  of 
my  ancestry,  and  of  being  descended  from  that  noble  race,  and  rejoice  that  I  am  so 
nearly  allied  to  a  country  which  has  so  much  to  recommend  it  to  the  good  wishes  of 
the  world.  Would  to  God,  sir,  that  Irishmen  on  the  other  side  of  the  great  water 
enjoyed  the  comforts,  happiness,  contentment,  and  liberty  that  we  enjoy  here  !  I  am 
well  aware,  sir,  that  Irishmen  have  never  been  backward  in  giving  their  support  to 
the  cause  of  liberty. 

Tiiey  have  fought,  sir,  for  this  country  valiantly,  and,  I  have  no  doubt,  would 
fight  again  were  it  necessary ;  but  I  hope  it  will  be  long  before  the  institutions 
of  our  country  need  support  of  that  kind.  Accept  my  best  wishes  for  the  happi- 
ness of  you  all. 

The  members  of  the  Society  were  about  to  withdraw  when 
President  Jackson  took  Mr.  Boyd  by  the  hand,  and  said :  — 

I  am  somewhat  fatigued,  sir,  as  you  may  notice ;  but  I  cannot  allow  you  to 
part  with  me  until  I  again  shake  hands  with  you,  which  I  do  for  yourself  and  the 
whole  Society.  I  assure  you,  sir,  there  are  few  circumstances  that  have  given  me 
more  heart-felt  satisfaction  than  this  visit.  I  shall  remember  it  with  pleasure,  and, 
I  hope  you,  sir,  and  all  your  Society  will  long  enjoy  health  and  happiness. 

On  September  6,  1834,  the  Society  joined  in  a  procession  in 
honor  of  Lafayette,  "  with  a  standard  bearer  and  ten  marshals,  who 
decorated  themselves  with  the  medals  of  the  Society,  and  a  special 


42  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

badge  provided  for  the  occasion  in  honor  of  General  Lafayette,  and 
bearing  his  likeness." 

The  centennial  celebration  was  held  on  March  17,  1837,  and  the 
Society  entertained  as  guests,  Governor  Edward  Everett,  Mayor 
Samuel  A.  Eliot,  Hon.  Stephen  Fairbanks,  President  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Charitable  Mechanic  Association,  the  Rev.  Mr.  John  Pier- 
pont,  Hon.  John  P.  Bigelow,  Hon.  Josiah  Quincy,  Jr.,  and  others. 

Among  the  remarks  of  the  President  of  the  Charitable  Mechanics 
Association,  we  find  the  following :  — 

The  relation  which  you  yourself,  Mr.  President,  as  well  as  some  others  whom  I 
have  now  the  honor  to  address,  sustain  to  that  institution  is  some  indication  of  the 
readiness  of  its  members  to  avail  themselves  at  all  times  of  the  friendly  aid  and  co- 
operation of  the  intelligent  and  scientific,  to  whatever  nation  they  may  belong,  and 
more  especially  of  the  natives  of  that  country  from  which  we  have  derived  some  of 
our  earliest  impressions  of  the  importance  of  cultivating  the  arts.  The  liberal  policy 
of  that  institution  in  regard  to  the  admission  of  members  is  worthy  of  all  praise,  and 
the  great  accession  of  members,  from  time  to  time,  is  the  best  proof  of  the  wisdom 
of  this  course,  and  I  trust  it  will  never  subject  itself  to  the  imputation  of  rejecting 
any  high-minded,  intelligent  mechanic,  who  has  complied  with  the  conditions  of  the 
constitution,  whether  a  native  or  adopted  citizen. 

Just  fifty  years  later,  Hugh  O'Brien,  the  Mayor  of  the  city,  and 
one  of  the  foremost  Irishmen  in  Boston,  well  known  for  his  active 
business  interest  in  matters  of  practical  science,  was  successfully 
opposed  for  admission  to  this  association  by  a  Mr.  Henry  N.  Sawyer, 
on  the  ground  that  he  was  a  Jesuit ! 

The  Society  marched  in  the  funeral  processions  of  President 
Harrison  in  1841,  and  of  Andrew  Jackson  in  1845.  In  1847  the 
famine,  then  destroying  their  countrymen  in  Ireland,  moved  them  to 
give  up  their  annual  celebration,  and  strain  every  nerve  to  relieve 
their  suffering  fatherland. 

In  i860,  at  the  December  quarterly  meeting,  held  at  the  Parker 
House,  Hugh  O'Brien,  the  president,  called  the  attention  of  the 
Society  to  the  danger  our  country  was  in,  and  said  "  it  would  be  well 
for  this  time-honored  Society  to  express  its  deep  feeling  on  this  occa- 
sion."    A  committee  was  appointed  to  prepare  resolutions,  and,  after 


THE    CHARITABLE    IRISH  SOCIETY.  43 

brief  consideration,  submitted  the  following  draft,  which  was  unani- 
mously adopted :  — 

Whereas,  The  chronicles  of  the  day  show  the  lamentable  fact  that  these 
beloved  United  States  are  passing  through  a  crisis  that  portends  ruin  to  the  integ- 
rity of  this  fair  Republic  and  its  institutions,  and, 

Whereas,  Our  venerable  Society  preceded  the  foundation  of  the  Confederacy 
and  of  the  Constitution,  guarded  its  infancy,  and  is  identified  with  the  existence  and 
prosperity  of  the  Union,  and  most  sensitively  feels  the  shock  to  the  national  body 
politic,  —  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  the  Charitable  Irish  Society  of  Boston  condemns  and  abhors 
every  principle  or  movement  that  would  dissever  these  United  States,  —  and  we  now 
solemnly  renew  our  vows  of  fealty  and  love  for  the  Union  and  the  Constitution,  and 
emulating  the  example  and  glorious  achievements  of  our  predecessors  of  ^6  and  '89, 
we  pledge  our  efforts  and  our  influence  for  the  vindication  and  maintenance,  "pure 
and  undefiled,"  of  this  most  perfect  form  of  civil  and  religious  liberty. 

Resolved,  That  we  invoke  our  brethren  and  fellow-citizens  throughout  the 
Union,  by  the  memories  of  our  past  united  career,  to  lay  aside  all  sectional  or 
partisan  animosities,  and  devote  themselves  to  the  cause  of  our  endangered  common 
country. 

From  the  report  of  the  secretary  at  the  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
fifth  anniversary,  March  17,  1862,  we  clip  the  following:  — 

A-good  many  of  our  members  have  gone  to  the  war  to  fight  for  the  restoration 
of  the  glorious  Constitution  and  Union  of  the  States.  Several  of  them,  we  can 
mention  with  pride,  have  already  obtained  a  position  in  the  army  of  the  Union, 
which  has  redounded  to  the  honor  of  their  nationality.  Thomas  Cass  and  Patrick 
R.  Guiney  may  be  named  in  this  record.  The  former,  Colonel,  and  the  latter, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  9th  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  which  regiment,  we  are 
proud  to  say,  composed  entirely  of  Irish  and  Irish  extraction,  is  to-day  one  of  the 
best  and  bravest  on  the  soil  of  deluded  Virginia. 

The  Society  took  part  in  the  procession  to  celebrate  the  centen- 
nial anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  They  formed  part  of 
the  third  division,  composed  of  historic  societies  and  civic  associa- 
tions. 


44  THE   IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


*aW^fflasuxrrry 


CHAPTER   IV. 

CAPTAIN   DANIEL   MALCOM   AND   THE   REVENUE  ACTS. 

CAPTAIN  DANIEL  MALCOM  was  a  citizen  of  Boston  of  con- 
siderable prominence  in  the  exciting  times  that  immediately- 
preceded  the  Revolution.  In  the  town  records  the  name  first  occurs 
in  the  meeting  of  ioth  March,  1766,  where  he  is  appointed  on  a  com- 
mittee to  regulate  the  sale  of  lambs,  probably  to  prevent  the  sale  of 

unhealthy  meat.  He  had  good 
company  on  the  committee,  and 
his  appointment  thereon  is  a 
voucher  of  his  high  standing  in 
the  community.  Soon  the  atten- 
tion of  the  town  was  attracted  to  an  event  of  no  common  im- 
portance, in  which  Captain  Malcom  was  the  principal  figure.  The 
revenue  officers,  suspecting  contraband  goods  to  be  on  his  prem- 
ises, began  a  search  without  due  warrant.  The  sturdy  captain 
stopped  them  at  the  door  of  a  room  that  he  had  his  own  reasons 
for  protecting,  and  so  stubborn  and  defiant  was  he  that  they  were 
glad  to  postpone  the  affair.  But  when  they  returned  their  reception 
was  even  worse.  Captain  Malcom  had  his  Irish  temper  stirred,  and 
would  not  suffer  them  to  cross  his  threshold.  Gathering  his  friends 
about  him,  he  showed  fight,  and  for  a  moment  it  looked  as  if 
bloodshed  would  follow.  Fortunately,  however,  for  the  British  offi- 
cers, at  least,  they  consulted  their  better  part  of  valor,  and  let  the 
contraband  goods  remain  under  their  very  safe  guardianship.  It 
may  well  be  imagined  that  no  love  was  lost  on  either  side. 

This  occurrence  was  of  itself  important,  as  showing  the  strength 
of  public  sentiment  backing  Malcom  in  his  resistance  to  the  obnox- 
ious revenue  laws;  but  it  was  made  still  more  so  by  the  attitude  taken 
by  the  Crown  officials.    The  governor  of  the  province  summoned 


DANIEL    MALCOM  AND    THE    REVENUE    ACTS.  45 

before  him  in  council  the  sheriff,  the  deputy  collector,  and  the  comp- 
troller of  customs,  with  other  citizens,  and  took  their  depositions  in 
writing  in  regard  to  the  raid.  It  reached  the  ears  of  the  people  that 
these  depositions  contained  matter  that  if  transmitted  home,  without 
a  fuller  and  more  impartial  account,  would  greatly  prejudice  the 
interests  of  the  colony.  The  testimony  so  taken  was  not  recorded, 
nor  open  to  inspection  of  any  of  the  town's  representatives.  Under 
these  circumstances  the  town-meeting  appointed  a  committee  of  eight 
of  the  foremost  citizens,  including  Otis, Hancock,  and  Adams,  to  ask 
the  Governor  for  copies  of  the  testimony,  so  that  the  town  might  be 
able  to  rectify  mistakes,  "  and  counterwork  the  designs  of  any  who 
would  represent  them  in  a  disadvantageous  light."  The  committee 
was  successful,  and  the  suspicions  of  the  town  were  confirmed  when 
the  depositions  were  read  to  them.  At  their  bidding,  the  committee 
drew  up  a  long  letter  of  instructions  x  to  their  agent  in  London,  Mr. 
Denis  Deberdt,  referring  to  the  Stamp  riots  of  the  previous  year, 
and  giving  a  full,  but  not  too  highly  colored,  account  of  the  "  late 
occurrances  in  this  town  which  is  the  particular  occasion  of  our 
troubling  you  with  this  letter." 

The  town  apprehended  that  the  government  depositions  "  con- 
tained a  partial  account  of  the  behavior  of  the  people  who  from  mere 
curiosity  had  got  together,  that  they  tended  to  corroborate  the  de- 
signs of  our  enemies,"  and  so  enclosed,  not  only  the  government 
depositions,  but  also  a  mass  of  testimony  collected  on  the  town's 
side,  together  with  instructions  that  the  agent  should  take  every 
measure  to  prevent  false  views  of  the  trouble  gaining  credence  with 
the  Ministry.  This  interesting  letter  closes  by  rebuking  "  a  set  of 
men  in  America  who  are  continually  transmitting  to  the  mother 
country  odious  and  false  accounts  of  the  collonys,"  and  with  a  scath- 
ing denunciation  of  "  an  infamous  character  whose  name  is  Richard- 
son," who  seems  to  have  made  his  living  as  an  informer.  The  agent's 
replies  were  received  and  read  at  the  May  meeting  of  the  next  year, 
and  with  the  reading  of  them  the  matter  rested ;  but  it  was  not  for- 
gotten, for  when  the  town  was  asked  to  grant  the  use  of  Faneuil 

'Town  Rec,  1766,  pp.  191-194. 


46  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

Hall  for  the  state  dinner  of  the  governor  and  his  council  on  election 
day,  permission  was  refused,  except  with  the  understanding  that  the 
revenue  officers  "  are  not  to  be  Invited  to  dine  there  on  said  Day." 
At  the  request  of  the  town  nearly  all  the  merchants  signed  an  agree- 
ment not  to  purchase  after  the  31st  of  December  any  of  a  list  of 
about  thirty  different  kinds  of  merchandise,  if  such  merchandise  was 
to  be  imported  from  England.  Captain  Malcom's  signature  to  this 
list  is  given  in  this  chapter. 

The  revenue  officers  began  to  complain  to  England,  and  bitterly 
inveighed  against  the  license  of  the  press,  the  power  and  stubbornness 
of  the  town-meetings,  and  the  "boycott"  of  imported  articles.  They 
asked  for  a  firmer  support,  and  broadly  hinted  that  troops  in  the  town 
and  war-ships  in  the  harbor  would  be  very  convenient.  They  got 
them.  Gage  stationed  a  regiment  in  Boston ;  Castle  William  was 
prepared  for  active  service ;  a  frigate,  the  "  Romney,"  and  four  other 
vessels  of  war  were  stationed  in  Boston  harbor.  The  irritation  of  the 
people  was  now  further  heightened  by  the  arbitrary  acts  of  Captain 
Comer,  commanding  this  frigate  ;  she  lay  at  anchor  in  the  harbor,  and 
received  valuable  additions  to  her  crew  from  the  fishermen  of  New 
England.  Not  enlistments :  they  were  kidnapped  by  the  press-gang, 
and  even  substitutes  were  refused.  "Rebel"  and  "tyrant"  were 
words  freely  bandied.  The  excitement  finally  culminated  in  the 
seizure  of  the  sloop  "  Liberty."  This  vessel  belonged  to  John  Han- 
cock, who  was  a  large  ship-owner.  She  arrived  from  Madeira,  in 
June,  1768,  and  made  fast  to  Hancock's  wharf  (now  Lewis  wharf) 
The  cargo  was  wine,  and  it  is  said  part  of  it  was  consigned  to  Malcom. 
Thomas  Kirk,  the  tidewaiter,1  went  aboard  heron  Friday,  June  10, 
and  was  followed  by  Captain  John  Marshall,  the  commander  of  Han- 
cock's London  packet-ship,  with  some  others.  They  fastened  Kirk 
below,  and  kept  him  there  some  hours,  while  they  removed  part  of 
the  cargo.  During  the  night  they  went  on  with  the  good  work,  and, 
though  the  rumbling  of  the  carts  and  the  wakefulness  of  those  troubled 
times  made  concealment  impossible,  the  removal  was  not  interfered 
with.     A  guard  of  thirty  or  forty  strapping  fellows  bearing  clubs 

1  Inspector  of  customs. 


DANIEL    MALCOM  AND    THE    REVENUE    ACTS.  47 

marched  with  the  loaded  carts,  and  may  have  had  something  to  do 
with  the  forbearance  of  the  officials.  The  next  day  Captain  Barnard, 
master  of  the  sloop,  made  entry  of  five  pipes  of  wine  as  his  whole 
cargo ;  and  then  there  was  trouble.  The  collector,  Joseph  Harrison, 
and  the  comptroller,  Benjamin  Hallowell,  repaired  to  the  wharf  with 
the  declared  intention  of  seizing  the  ship  for  evasion  of  the  revenue 
laws.  Harrison  hesitated,  but  Hallowell  went  ahead,  made  the  seizure, 
marked  the  vessel  with  the  broad  arrow,  and  signalled  to  the  "  Rom- 
ney  "  as  she  lay  anchored  in  the  stream.  Captain  Comer  sent  his  boats 
to  bring  her  out  under  the  guns  of  the  ship.  Meanwhile  the  streets 
in  the  neighborhood  were  filling  with  an  excited  crowd.  Wild  rumors 
spread  abroad,  and  the  sight  of  the  war-ship  bustling  her  boats  out 
gave  color  to  the  idea  that  another  impressment,  or  some  similar  act 
of  oppression,  was  being  carried  out  with  the  high  hand  of  arbitrary 
power.  Malcom  stood  at  the  head  of  his  friends  on  the  wharf  and 
protested  against  the  removal ;  the  vessel,  they  said,  was  safe  where 
she  was,  and  no  officer  nor  anybody  else  had  a  right  to  remove  her. 
The  boats  arrived,  and  the  excitement  increased.  Malcolm  and  the 
other  leaders  of  the  populace  threatened  to  go  on  board  and  throw 
the  frigate's  people  into  the  sea.  Suddenly  the  sloop's  moorings  were 
cut,  and  before  anything  could  be  done  to  prevent  it  she  was  gone 
from  the  wharf.  The  customs-officers,  who  were  there  in  a  body, 
now  repented  of  their  hasty  action ;  for  the  people  before  them,  only 
half  understanding  the  affair,  knowing  the  bitterness  of  the  govern- 
ment party,  and  suspecting  the  worst,  seeing  the  vessel  of  one  whom 
they  knew  and  respected  in  the  hands  of  the  tyrant  frigate-captain, 
and  the  protests  and  warnings  of  their  leaders  disregarded,  became 
utterly  furious.  They  attacked  the  officials,  broke  their  swords,  and 
handled  them  without  much  mercy.  It  speaks  well  for  the  respect- 
ability of  that  excited  crowd  that  no  one  was  killed.  They  smashed 
the  windows  in  the  houses  of  Hallowell  and  of  his  chief,  the  inspector- 
general.  They  seized  the  collector's  boat,  dragged  it  to  the  Common, 
smashed  it  into  fragments,  and  made  a  bonfire  with  it. 

The  next  night  was  the  eve  of  the  Puritan  Sabbath,  and  quiet 
reigned  throughout  the  city.     The  widespread  disorder  of  Friday, 


48  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

the  consciousness  that  the  fire  was  only  smouldering  that  might  at 
any  time  break  out  and  wrap  the  land  in  the  flames  of  revolution, 
and,  more  than  all,  the  sudden  death  of  John  Marshall,  a  universal 
favorite,  the  captain  of  the  London  packet,  threw  a  cloud  of  sadness 
over  the  staid,  church-going  town,  and  brought  to  its  people  a  just 
and  solemn  resolution  that  carried  them  in  soberness  and  safety 
through  the  trials  of  the  following  week. 

On  Monday  there  were  a  few  unauthorized  attempts  to  organize 
the  troubled  spirit  of  the  time ;  but  the  steadier  citizens  took  charge 
of  the  affair  by  calling  a  meeting  at  Liberty  Hall x  the  next  morning. 
Many  answered  the  call,  but  the  weather  was  threatening,  so  that 
they  adjourned  to  Faneuil  Hall.  Here  it  was  decided  to  call  a  town- 
meeting  for  the  same  afternoon,  that  the  acts  of  the  assembled  citi- 
zens might  be  ensured  recognition  at  the  hands  of  the  Crown.  So  it 
happened  that  the  first  popular  assembly  after  the  riot  was  a  legal 
town-meeting. 

"  After  very  cool  and  deliberate  Debates  upon  the  distressed 
Circumstances  of  the  town,"  it  was  unanimously  voted  to  send  a  com- 
mittee of  twenty-one  prominent  citizens,  of  whom  were  Otis,  Hancock, 
Adams,  and  our  friend  Captain  Malcom,  to  wait  upon  the  governor 
with  a  petition.  This  petition  recites  the  fundamental  doctrine  of 
representative  self-government,  recalls  the  dutiful  remonstrances  of 
the  colony,  and  the  oppressive  and  unjust  treatment  that  had  followed, 
and  in  guarded  terms  reminds  the  king's  representative  that  there  is 
a  limit  to  the  patience  of  "  this  distressed  and  justly  incensed  People." 
They  went  on  to  say  that,  inasmuch  as  the  Board  of  Customs  had 
retreated  to  the  castle,  it  was  to  be  hoped  they  would  never  reassume 
their  office ;  and  the  petitioners  "  flattered  themselves "  that  the 
governor  would  immediately  order  the  "  Romney  "  out  of  the  har- 
bor till  the  town  was  assured    of  relief  from    its  grievances.     The 

1  The  ground  about  Liberty  Tree  was  called  Liberty  Hall.  This  tree  was  the  largest 
of  a  group  of  majestic  elms  that  stood  at  the  corner  of  Essex  and  Washington  streets,  a  spot 
commemorated  by  a  brown-stone  tablet  at  the  present  day.  It  was  christened  amid  much 
rejoicing  at  the  time  of  the  Stamp  riots,  and  its  name,  "  The  Tree  of  Liberty,"  stamped  on  a 
copper  plate,  was  nailed  to  it.  This  tree  was  cut  down  by  the  British  in  1775,  and  in  falling 
slew  one  of  its  destroyers. 


DANIEL    MALCOM  AND    THE    REVENUE    ACTS. 


49 


1/ 


burled/in  a 
^tone  £ravC  10  fe/tr  (Jeep b'j 

^  a  tm£  SDiycfeLiberty /  ^ 
amend  to  M^yWckjJ 

onty  of /he  fca/paofr 


governor  received  the  committee  hospitably,  and  replied  the  next 
day  in  a  conciliatory  tone,  but  disclaimed  all  authority  to  do  as  he 
was  asked  by  the  town.  At  this  meeting  Otis  spoke  of  armed  resist- 
ance as  the  last  re- 
sort, but  one  for 
which  all  should  be 
ready.  The  town 
feared  a  repetition  of 
the  governor's  tactics 
in  the  matter  of  the 
raid  on  Captain  Mal- 
com,  and  appointed 
the  same  committee 
of  twenty-one,  of 
which  Captain  Mal- 
com  was  a  member, 
to  draw  up  an  ac- 
count of  the  "  true 
state  of  some  late 
Occurrances,"  to  be 
sent  to  Mr.  Deberdt, 
in  London,  so  that 
he  could  protect  the 
colony  from  slander- 
ous attacks. 

The  following 
Friday  a  third  town- 
meeting  formulated 
instructions    to     the 

representatives,  and  ominously  resolved  "  at  all  times  to  assert 
and  vindicate  our  dear  and  invaluable  Rights  and  Libertys,  at  the 
utmost  hazard  of  our  lives  and  fortunes."  The  next  town-meet- 
ing was  held  on  the  I2th  of  September.  A  committee  of  sixteen, 
among  whom  again  we  find  Captain  Malcom,  was  appointed  to  report 
on  the  best  course  for  the  town  to  adopt  "  in  the  present  emergency." 


This  cut  of  Captain  Malcom's  gravestone  we  owe  to 
the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Edward  Macdonald,  Superintendent  of 
Copp's  Hill.    The  tomb  is  of  brick.     (See  Shurtleff,  p.  209.) 


50  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

With  the  recording  of  the  report  of  this  committee  Captain  Malcom 
passes  out  of  history.     He  died  in  October  of  the  following  year. 

Captain  Malcom  was  an  Irishman,1  and  at  the  time  of  which  we 
write  had  only  recently  come  to  Boston.  He  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society  in  1766,  elected  on  the  board  of 
managers  in  1767,  and  vice-president  the  next  year, —  a  position  which 
he  held  till  his  death.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  these  offices  were 
not  open  except  to  men  of  Irish  blood.  He  was  one  of  the  respon- 
sible representatives  of  the  Society  in  money  matters.  His  store,  on 
Fleet  street,  was  the  resort  of  many  of  the  more  energetic  of  the 
revenue  haters,  and  a  constant  menace  to  the  peace  of  the  king's 
officers.  Ireland  could  not  have  presented  to  the  colony  a  better 
man  for  the  times,  and  if  he  had  lived  to  hear  the  guns  of  Bunker 
Hill  it  needs  no  prophet  to  say  he  would  have  won  renown  for  him- 
self and  his  race  and  shared  gloriously  in  the  triumph  of  his  adopted 
country. 

His  fellow-citizens  appreciated  him,  and  showed  their  confidence 
by  selecting  him  as  their  representative  in  the  troublesome  and  dan- 
gerous crises  in  which  he  was  an  actor ;  but  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that  his  proper  sphere  was  not  diplomacy,  but  active  and 
aggressive  resistance. 

His  grave  is  on  Copp's  Hill,  in  the  oldest  of  Boston  burial- 
grounds.  The  stone  over  it,  shown  in  the  accompanying  cut,  is  of 
hard  blue  slate,  two  inches  thick,  and  showing  about  a  yard  above 
the  ground.  The  inscription  is  a  just  statement  of  his  merits  and 
reputation ;  but  an  additional  wreath  is  added  to  his  laurels  by  the 
vindictive  bullet-marks  of  the  British  soldiery,  who  used  this  stone  as 
a  target,  and  peppered  the  gravestone  of  the  man  who  feared  nothing 
less  than  a  British  "bloody-back." 

1  Drake,  p.  737,  note. 


THE    IMMIGRANT.  51 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE    IMMIGRANT. 


THE  first  considerable  influx  of  Irish  immigrants  began  about 
1717.  Casual  mention  is  made  on  September  28,  1717, 
when  the  selectmen  warned  James  Goodwin  to  depart  the  town,  that 
he  had  arrived  from  Ireland  about  two  months  before  with  Captain 
Douglis.  In  the  same  year  came  Captain  Robert  Temple  with  a 
number  of  Irish  Protestants.  He  commanded  a  company  with  credit 
in  campaigns  against  the  Indians,  and  very  soon  conquered  the 
esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens.  He  was  the  first  to  live  on  Noddle's 
Island  (now  East  Boston),  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
and  was  elected  to  the  Charitable  Irish  Society  in  1740.  On  August 
4,  1 71 8,  arrived  five  ships  in  the  harbor  bearing  Irish  immigrants. 
These  settled  in  different  parts  of  the  province,  mainly  in  New 
Hampshire ;  among  them  was  Thomas  Bell,  subsequently  a  lessee 
of  Noddle's  Island.  To  this  company,  probably,  belonged  Thomas 
Walker,  John  Rodgers,  James,  Elizabeth,  and  Rachel  Blare,  who 
were  warned  to  depart  October  22,  "  having  arrived  from  Ireland 
about  two  months  before."  The  records  of  these  warnings  furnish,  in 
many  instances,  the  only  clue  we  have  to  the  extent  and  character 
of  immigration.  April  17,  1719,  Alexander  Macgrigory,  "who  with 
his  family  came  lately  from  Ireland  into  this  town,"  was  warned  to 
depart.  On  June  9,  17 19,  arrived  a  colony  of  Irish,  from  whom 
Andrew  Pernis,  a  cooper;  John  Macannis  and  wife  and  four  children; 
John  Henderson,  his  wife  and  five  children ;  William  Miller,  his  wife 
and  four  children;  John  Criton  and  one  maid;  John  Severwrit ;  Fran- 
cis Gray  and  wife  and  three  children,  —  were,  on  June  13,  warned  to 
depart.  September  23,  Martha  Newell  is  recorded  as  having  arrived 
from  Ireland  about  seven  weeks  before,  and  on  December  5,  John 
Walker,  wife  and  three  children,  as  having  arrived    from   Ireland 


52  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

about  one  month  before.  After  this,  for  a  while,  either  the 
stream  of  immigration  was  almost  entirely  diverted  from  Boston 
to  enrich  the  surrounding  territory,  or  the  authorities  found  reason 
not  to  record  so  many  Irish  warnings.  The  fact  that  the  Irish  were 
still  coming,  and  were  not  very  welcome,  is  seen  in  the  order  of  the 
town-meeting,  in  May,  1723,  mentioned  in  another  chapter,  which 
states  that  "  great  numbers  of  Persons  have  very  lately  bin  Trans- 
ported from  Ireland  into  this  Province, "  and  were  driven  by  the 
Indian  troubles  to  reside  in  the  town.  About  the  same  time  Gov- 
ernor Wentworth  was  in  receipt  of  friendly  warnings  that  the  Irish 
were  settling  in  the  valley  of  the  Merrimack,  and  that  he  had  better 
take  what  precautions  seemed  best  to  him  under  the  circumstances 
for  the  safety  of  the  community. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  selectmen,  September  12,  1724,  Captain 
Philip  Bass  appeared  before  them,  "  and  it  appearing  to  them  that 
he  had  the  measels  (an  Infectious  Sickness)  among  his  passengers 
in  his  vessel  lately  come  from  Ireland  into  this  Harbor,"  he  was  or- 
dered to  collect  what  passengers  and  goods  he  had  allowed  to  get 
ashore,  and  go  down  to  Spectacle  Island  till  further  order. 

Two  of  the  most  honored  of  Boston's  early  families  were  at- 
tracted to  this  city,  after  making  a  trial  of  other  parts  of  America. 
They  have  had  much  influence  on  the  course  of  events  in  Massa- 
chusetts, and  especially  in  Boston.  The  more  prominent  of  these 
was  the  family  of  John  Sullivan,  the  Limerick  schoolmaster,  who 
settled  in  Berwick,  Me.,  in  1730.  From  him  descended  James  Sul- 
livan,1 twice  governor  of  the  State ;  John  Sullivan,2  the  Revolutionary 
general ;  William  Sullivan,  the  lawyer,  the  interesting  chronicler,  the 
genial  and  accomplished  gentleman.  The  memorial  tablet  of  the 
last-named  is  in  King's  Chapel ;   it  bears  a  Latin  inscription,3  and 

1  Autograph  in  Mem.  Hist.  Bost,  iii.,  208. 

2  Autograph  in  Mem.  Hist.  Bost.,  iii.,  104. 

3GUILIELMO  SULLIVAN*  JACOBI  MASSACHUSETTENSIUM  BIS  GUBERNATORIS  FILIO. 
JOHANNIS  IN  BELLO  LIBERTATIS  VINDICE  DUCIS  NEPOTF  VIRO  SOLERTI  BENIGNO  INTEGERRIMO. 
SUMMA  DIGNITATE  ET  COMITATE  PR^EDITO*  REBUS  ET  CIVILIBUS  ET  M1LITARIBUS  CUM  LAUDE 
VERSATO-  JURISCONSULTO  PR^STANTI  CAUSIDICO  FACUNDCT  SCRIPTORI  JUCUNDO  SUBTILF  IN 
SERMONE  SUAVISSIMO-   OMNIUM   QUIBUS   HOMO-    NOBILIOR   HUMANIOR   ATQUE  BEATIOR   FIERI 


THE    IMMIGRANT.  53 

the  arms,  crest,  and  motto  of  the  O'Sullivan  More.1  The  family 
is  probably  a  connection  of  the  Sullivans  of  Chesterfield ;  the 
prefix  O'  was  not  dropped  by  the  Irish  heads  of  the  family  till  after 
the  American  Revolution. 

The  Amorys  were  another  important  family.  The  first  of  the 
name  here,  Thomas  Amory,  went  from  Limerick  to  South  Carolina, 
but  in  1 72 1  removed  to  Boston.  The  family  was  active  on  the 
Tory  side  at  the  time  of  the  American  Revolution,  but  have  in 
every  way  identified  themselves  with  the  prosperity  of  the  city  since. 
"  The  Transfer  of  Erin,"  from  the  pen  of  Thomas  Coffin  Amory,  in 
our  own  generation,  shows  that  the  tradition  of  Irish  descent  is 
neither  forgotten  nor  dishonored. 

It  is  to  the  Irish  immigrants  of  this  time  that  New  England 
owes  the  introduction  of  the  potato  and  the  old-fashioned  spinning- 
wheel.2  The  potato,  it  is  true,  is  an  indigenous  American  product, 
and  was  unknown  in  Europe  before  Sir  Francis  Drake  brought  it 
from  Virginia,  in  1573;  but  it  had  been  domesticated  in  Ireland, 
and  from  there  first  came  to  New  England,  where  it  has  since  been 
a  staple.  The  other  gifts  of  Ireland  to  the  Yankees  —  the  old- 
fashioned  foot-wheel  and  hand-loom — came  with  the  Irish  spinners  and 
weavers  that  landed  in  Boston  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  These  acquisitions  came  in  a  good  time.  The  town  was 
much  worried  to  provide  suitable  help  for  the  poor,  and  to  promote 
industry  among  the  inhabitants.  In  1720,  when  the  appropriation 
for  the  poor  reached  eighteen  hundred  pounds,  the  town  authorized 
a  committee  to  consider  and  report  on  the  establishment  of  a  public 
spinning-school.  They  reported  it  expedient  either  to  build  or  hire 
a  house  for  the  purpose,  and  to  employ  "  some  suitable  person  that  is 
a  weaver,  having  a  wife  that  can  instruct  children  in  spinning  flax,  the 
town  supplying  them  with  money  for  a  time  on  good  security."     Regu- 

POSSIT  PERSTUDIOSO-  FILIA  AMANTISSIMA  ET  AMICUS  PR^ECIPUE  DEVINCTUS"  UT  CONTEMPLATIO 
VIRTUTUM  PERMANEAT  HOC  MARMOR  LUGENTES  POSUERUNT"  NATUS  XII  NOV.  MDCCLXXIV 
EXCESSIT  III   SEPT.   MDCCCXXXIX. 

1  For  the  arms  and  crest  see  "  Burke's  Landed  Gentry,"  The  Sullivans  of  Wilmington. 
The  motto  is  "  Lamm  Foisdin  Each  An  Uachtar"  —  (What  we  gain  by  conquest  we  secure 
by  clemency). 

2  Drake,  p.  560. 


54  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

lations  for  such  a  school  were  proposed,  and  a  premium  for  good 
results  suggested.1  In  1749  a  society  was  established  for  encour- 
aging industry  and  helping  the  poor  by  spreading  the  knowledge 
of  the  linen  manufacture.  This  was  a  revival  of  the  enthusiasm  for 
spinning,  and  went  to  much  greater  lengths.  It  was  probably  the 
basis  of  the  effort  to  encourage  Irish  immigration,  to  which  we  shall 
shortly  refer.  The  society  was  known  as  the  Society  for  Encouraging 
Industry,  and  held  an  anniversary  meeting  on  the  8th  of  August 
each  year,  where  a  sermon  was  preached  and  a  collection  made2  for 
the  benefit  of  the  enterprise.  On  the  Common  there  was  held 
a  public  spinning  match;  the  women  gathered  by  hundreds,  each 
with  her  wheel  and  distaff,  and  sat  in  rows  spinning,  rich  and  poor 
together,  vying  with  each  other  in  dexterity  and  grace  for  the  ap- 
proval of  a  large  company  of  the  sterner  sex.  Weavers  also  appeared, 
in  garments  woven  by  themselves,  working  at  a  loom  on  a  movable 
stage,  carried  on  men's  shoulders,  and  attended  by  music.  It  was 
due  to  the  efforts  of  this  society  that  the  so-called  Manufactory 
House  was  erected,  which  stood,  till  1806,  in  Long  Acre  street  (now 
Tremont),  nearly  opposite  where  Park-street  Church  now  is. 

On  June  10,  1727,  George  Steward,  of  Ireland,  was  admitted  an 
inhabitant.  Five  Irishmen  were  among  the  refugees  from  surround- 
ing towns  that  were  warned  out  of  Boston,  July  24  of  the  same  year. 
September  9,  1730,  William  Fryland  and  Francis  Clinton,  joiners 
from  Ireland,  were  admitted  inhabitants.  December  1 1  of  the  same 
year  Dennis  Cramy,  a  wig-maker  from  Ireland,  was  admitted.  In  Au- 
gust of  1736  appeared  the  brigantine  "  Bootle,"  with  nineteen  trans- 
ports, as  mentioned  in  a  previous  chapter,  together  with  other  pas- 
sengers ;  in  September  of  the  same  year  a  shoemaker  named  James 
White  gives  notice  that  he  has  taken  as  journeyman  into  his  family 
one  John  Wallace,  "  who  was  lately  imported  by  Captain  Beard,  from 
Ireland, "  on  this  same  transport  ship. 

During  the  two  years  1736-38  ten  ships  are  on  record  coming 
to  Boston  from  Ireland,  bringing  a  total  of  nearly  one.  thousand  pas- 

1 "  £S  f°r  the  first  piece  of  linen  spun  and  wove  here,  provided  it  be  worth  4s.  per  yd." 
^453^  1754. 


THE    IMMIGRANT.  55 

sengers.  It  was  on  the  occasion  of  this  influx  of  Irishmen  that  the 
Charitable  Irish  Society  was  organized.  Among  these  vessels  were  the 
sloop  "Hannah,"  with  thirty-seven  pasengers,  and  the  sloop  "Two 
Mollys,"  with  forty-three  passengers,  which  arrived  in  November,  1736. 
In  September  of  the  next  year,  came  the  ship  "  Sagamore,"  with  the 
heaviest  load  of  passengers  on  record.  They  had  been  afflicted  with 
measles  on  the  passage,  and  it  was  only  with  great  trouble  they  secured 
permission  to  land.  The  captain  and  a  Mr.  Hugh  Ramsey,  who  had 
chartered  the  ship,  were  examined  at  some  length  by  some  of  the 
physicians  of  the  town,  whose  opinion  was,  that  it  would  be  very 
dangerous  to  the  inhabitants  if  the  passengers  or  the  ship's  company 
were  allowed  to  land  before  they  had  "  aired  themselves  and  cleansed 
the  ship."  The  immigrants  were  accordingly  ordered  to  Spectacle 
Island  for  that  purpose.  To  secure  the  town  against  loss,  in  case 
any  of  these  immigrants  became  a  public  charge,  two  separate  bonds 
were  executed, —  one  for  three  hundred  and  eighty-one  passengers,  of 
the  penalty  of  one  thousand  pounds,  and  one  for  twenty-seven  pas- 
sengers, of  the  penalty  of  two  hundred  pounds.  On  the  same  day 
was  filed  a  bond  of  six  hundred  pounds,  for  one  hundred  and  sixty-two 
passengers  imported  from  Ireland  in  the  snow  "  Charming  Molly," 
Captain  James  Finney.  A  couple  of  weeks  before,  a  bond1  of  five 
hundred  pounds  had  been  filed  for  passengers  (number  not  given) 
in  the  brigantine  "  Elizabeth,"  Captain  William  Mills. 

In  May  of  the  next  year  came  the  ship  "  Eagle,"  Captain  William 
Acton,  with  eighty-two  passengers  ;  and  the  year  after  arrived  the  ship 
Banvick,  Captain  Ephraim  Jackson,  from  Ireland,  with  forty-six 
passengers.  Several  other  ships  are  incidentally  mentioned ;  among 
others  the  ship  "  Catharine,"  Captain  Robert  Waters,  from  which,  in 
June,  1737,  a  transport  named  Bryan  Karrick  and  a  "  spinster  "  named 
Catharine  Driscoll  landed  and  dwelt  in  the  town;  the  brigantine 
"Salutation,"  Captain  John  Carall  (spelled  also  Carrell),  arrived  in 
September,  1737,  with  passengers,  among  whom  were  twelve  that  the 

1  The  names  of  Robert  Auchmuty,  William  Hall,  and  William  Moore,  early  members  of 
the  Charitable  Irish  Society,  appear  on  these  bonds;  and  Daniel  Gibbs,  master  of  the 
« Sagamore,"  was  one  of  its  orginal  members. 


56  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

town  formally  admitted  as  inhabitants.  These  twelve  were  with  one 
exception  (Mary  Burton,  a  "single  woman")  the  families  of  Irish- 
men already  here,  who  had  sufficiently  prospered  in  their  new  home 
to  be  enabled  to  send  to  the  old  country  for  their  wives,  their  sisters, 
and  their  children.  There  came  also  in  the  same  ship  George 
Lucas,  his  wife  and  child,  and  in  all  probability  other  passengers 
who  did  not  happen  to  be  mentioned  in  the  selectmen's  records. 
The  time  of  passage  appears  in  one  or  two  cases :  the  ship  "  Sarah 
Galley,"  Captain  Samuel  Waterhouse,  that  was  quarantined  in  April, 
1737,  for  small-pox,  had  taken  seven  weeks  to  come  to  Boston  from 
Cork.  The  three  passengers  in  this  vessel  came  from  London.  In 
August  of  the  previous  year  Captain  Benedict  Arnold  touched  at 
Boston  in  the  "  Prudent  Hannah,"  with  one  hundred  and  twenty  pas- 
sengers, bound  to  Philadelphia ;  and  although  he  promised  to  take 
them  all  on  board  again,  Mr.  John  Savell  took  a  servant  from  among 
them.  The  passage  from  Ireland  had  occupied  twelve  weeks.  The  ship 
"  Sally,"  in  1763,  came  in  fifty-nine  days  from  Kingsgate,  Ireland ; 
this  vessel  also  was  brought  upon  the  record  by  being  quarantined  for 
small-pox. 

The  Irish  settler  in  America  turned  up  occasionally  in  unhappy 
straits,  and  at  Boston  always  received  kindly  treatment  in  his  distress. 
It  is  said  that  the  suggestion  of  "  Gulliver's  Travels  "  came  to  Swift  from 
a  returned  Irish  emigrant  named  Gulliver,  whom  James  Boies  had  found 
sitting  in  tears  on  the  road  to  Milton,  and  had  helped  to  return  to 
his  native  land.  In  1736,  at  a  meeting  of  the  selectmen  of  Boston, 
Dennis  Sullivant  appeared,  and  upon  examination  said  that  he,  with 
his  wife,  were  lately  come  to  Boston  from  South  Carolina  by  land ; 
that  he  had  been  in  town  about  five  weeks,  and  wanted  to  return  to 
England  or  Ireland  as  soon  as  he  could  conveniently  obtain  a  passage 
for  himself  and  his  wife.  Of  the  same  tenor  is  the  following  letter, 
which  quaintly  tells  its  own  pathetic  story : — 

Donnoughadee,  March  n,  1755. 
Dear  Son 

I  Received  Several  Letters  from  you  this  while,  which  I  am  very  much  Grieved 
and  in  great  Sorrow  and  trouble,  about  your  poor  and  Melancholly  Condition,  I 


v  THE    IMMIGRANT.  57 

have  wrot  and  senc  5  or  6  Letters  to  you  within  this  12  Months  past  whether  you 
have  received  any  of  them  I  doe  not  know,  pray  use  or  take  all  the  Pains  or  opper- 
tunity  you  Can  get  to  come  home,  through  Gods  assistance  we  shall  doe  what  Lyes 
in  my  power  for  you  while  I  Live,  pray  neglect  noe  oppertunity  in  Comeing  home 
as  soon  as  Lyes  in  your  power,  your  Mother  has  her  Love  to  you  and  She  is  very 
Desireous  and  fond  that  you  make  the  best  Indeavour  you  can  to  gett  home  pray 
Delay  not  as  soon  is  possible  in  Comeing  home  yr  Brothers  and  Sister8  has  theire 
Love  to  you,  and  they  are  also  very  Desireous  of  yr  Comeing  home.  Your  Mother 
and  I,  joyne  with  our  Blessing  to  you. 

all  at  present  from  yr  Loving  Father 

ALEXD*    McNEILY. 

I  also  pray  God  to  bless  these  Good  Chris- 
tians which  has  been  pleased  to  take  Notice  of 
you  in  your  poor  afflicted  State  and  Condition. 


The  province  appropriated  fourteen  pounds  for  the  purpose  of 
sending  the  poor  fellow  to  his  friends  in  Ireland. 

On  October  31,  1741,  appeared  in  the  harbor  a  sloop  from 
Ireland  with  sixty-five  passengers,  bringing  a  dreadful  story  of 
distress  and  starvation.  A  meeting  of  the  selectmen  was  imme- 
diately called,  and  steps  were  taken  to  investigate  the  matter.  It 
was  found  that  the  unfortunate  sloop  was  called  the  "  Seaflower,"  and 
had  sailed  from  Belfast,  with  Ebenezer  Clark  as  captain,  on  July  10. 
She  was  bound  for  Philadelphia.  Her  original  complement  of 
passengers  was  one  hundred  and  six.  On  July  25  the  captain  died, 
and  soon  after  the  mate  fell  sick.  They  encountered  heavy  weather 
and  sprung  their  mast.  They  lost  all  the  ship's  officers,  and  partly 
because  they  were  now  under  no  proper  discipline,  perhaps  also 
because  the  original  stock  of  provisions  was  so  small  as  only  to 
suffice  by  the  most  careful  allowancing,  they  soon  exhausted  their 
supplies,  and  began  to  suffer  the  horrors  of  starvation.  The  water 
also  failed ;  and  the  tortures  of  the  ship's  company  aptly  fitted  the 
tale  of  the  Ancient  Mariner.  In  the  extremity  of  their  misery  they 
resorted  to  cannibalism.  Though  our  well-fed  humanity  sickens  at 
the  thought  of  it,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  no  assembly  of  men, 
in  such  a  time  of  despair,  would  hesitate  long  between  the  sweetness 


58  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

of  life  and  the  sacredness  of  death.  Let  us  remember  that  that 
company  of  heroes  who  suffered  with  Greely  in  the  Arctic  winters, 
and  came  home  to  tell  the  tale,  owed  their  wrecked  existence  to  this 
ghastly  expedient.  It  is  one  comfort,  that  the  lottery  was  not  called 
upon  to  pick  out  a  victim  for  sacrifice :  they  fell  from  exhaustion 
or  disease  in  sufficient  numbers  to  ensure  a  plentiful  supply.  Six 
successive  bodies  were  divided  among  their  surviving  shipmates, 
and  they  were  already  cutting  up  a  seventh  when  they  espied  the 
British  man-of-war  "  Success."  They  were  supplied  with  men  and 
provisions  sufficient  to  bring  them  to  Boston,  where  they  arrived 
after  a  passage  of  sixteen  weeks,  and  with  a  loss  of  all  their  officers 
and  about  forty  passengers.  Of  the  sixty-five  people  surviving  when 
they  entered  Boston  harbor,  as  many  as  thirty  were  so  weak  as  to  be 
incapable  of  helping  themselves,  and  required  the  speediest  care  to 
preserve  their  lives.  The  day  of  arrival  was  Saturday ;  on  the  fol- 
lowing Monday  the  Governor  and  his  Council,  acting  on  information 
received  from  the  selectmen,  ordered  them  to  secure  the  vessel's 
papers  and  cargo,  to  "  dispose  of  the  Servants  and  Passengers  "  in 
the  hospital  on  Rainsford's  Island,  to  support,  nurse,  and  recover 
them  to  health,  and  also  to  secure  them  for  the  use  and  service  of 
the  owners  of  the  sloop.  The  owners  were  to  be  notified  immedi- 
ately to  repair  to  Boston  to  pay  all  charges,  and  to  take  all  further  care 
that  might  be  necessary  of  the  ship  and  her  unlucky  freight.  Upon 
the  refusal  or  neglect  of  the  owners,  the  charges  were  to  be  demanded 
of  the  passengers,  and  exacted,  if  necessary,  by  the  sale  of  their 
services  "  for  a  reasonable  time."  Accordingly,  on  Tuesday  morning, 
the  vessel  was  taken  down  to  Rainsford's  Island,  and  the  passengers 
carried  on  shore  and  lodged  in  several  rooms  in  the  hospital.  A 
messenger  was  despatched  to  New  Haven  for  the  owner,  Mr.  Joseph 
Thompson ;  two  weeks  later  he  appeared,  and  with  Capt.  John  Steel, 
one  of  the  selectmen  of  Boston,  gave  surety  to  cover  the  town's 
expenses  in  their  benevolent  work.  Notwithstanding  this  little  for- 
mality, we  find  the  next  February  that  the  town  pays  ten  pounds 
eight  shillings  for  nursing  and  burials.  One  of  the  passengers, 
named  Carr,  was  so  far  recovered  by  November    18   that  he  was 


THE    IMMIGRANT.  59 

employed   as  journeyman  in   the   shop  of  Mr.  Samuel  Butler,  the 
saddler,  at  No.  2  Dock  square. 

The  sensation  which  this  tale  of  suffering  created  could  hardly 
have  died  away  when  the  Governor  received  the  following  communi- 
cation.    The  spelling  shows  a  trace  of  the  brogue. 

The  humble  supplication  of  us  his  Majesties  Subjects  Late  from  Urope  — 
Humbly  Showeth 

That  ye  Suppliants  together  with  upwards  of  one  hundred  &  sixty  more  ship'd 
aboard  Martha  and  Eliz  :  Matthw  Rowing  Coihander  Bound  fm  Londonderry  in  the 
North  of  Ireland  to  New  Castle  in  pensilvania  and  after  being  upwards  of  seventeen 
weeks  at  Sea,  tossed  and  Exposed  to  Extrame  hardships  wee  were  cast  upon  the  Shore 
at  the  Bay  of  Funday  as  we  are  told  forty  Eight  Lagues  East  of  St  Georges  River 
where  we  have  Been  Living  poorly  on  Clames  and  other  Eatibles  we  picked  upon  the 

shore  to  preserve  our  Lives,  these  Seven  weeks  past Capn  Rowing  hurrying  us 

ashore  to  shift  for  ourselves  there  Left  us ;  and  he  with  some  of  the  hands  fittest  for 
his  purpose  went  of  from  us  and  soon  after  came  in  ye  Long  bote  to  Frederick's  fort : 
and  thence  they  brought  a  Little  Scooner  and  Small  Sloop  for  the  movible  goods 
that  came  with  us  and  all  such  of  ye  passingers  as  was  found  alive  on  the  Shore  — 
Before  the  Sloop  and  Scooner  got  to  us,  about  thirty  of  the  strongest  &  most 
Healthy,  being  In  Extrame  want ;  went  to  ye  woods  designing  to  travel  as  fare  as 
possible  for  Inhabitants.  Of  these  we  can  give  no  farther  account  —  Eight  or  Nine 
more  of  our  Number  went  off  along  Shore  seeking  somewhat  to  support  nature  at 
the  time  the  Sloop  and  Scooner  came  for  us,  the  hands  abord  (our  mate  and  others) 
for  Reasons  best  known  to  themselves,  was  quite  unwilling  to  send  or  sarch  for 
these  :  though  we  had  seen  them  that  very  day  on  the  shore  sarching  for  food  and 
Eating  Rockweed  and  so  Left  them  &  of  these  we  can  give  no  farther  account.  Now 
besides  these  already  Mentioned  of  all  that  Came  first  abord  the  vessel  at  London- 
derry there  is  but  forty  Eight  of  us  now  in  being,  many  died  at  sea  and  many  after 
we  came  to  Land  the  corps  of  wch  Lie  many  of  them  yet  on  the  Shore  through  wake- 
ness  we  were  not  able  to  Interr  them.  The  Sloop  and  Scooner  aforesd  took  in  as 
much  as  possible  of  ye  goods  that  came  alongst  with  us :  and  the  Forty  Eight  Souls 
they  found  alive  and  handy  for  them  on  the  Shore  but  unwilliug  to  stay  for  the 
other  Eight  or  Nine  already  mentioned  that  had  just  gone  out  from  us,  they  got  of 
(with  us)  for  St.  Georges.  Monday  Last  the  forty  Eight  got  safe  to  pleasent  point 
at  the  mouth  of  St.  Georges  River  where  our  mate  with  the  Rest  of  our  Crew 
Nowithstanding  all  they  had  brough  from  the  vessel  with  them  wch  was  more  then 
Enough  for  them  Charged  us  to  pay  twinty  Shillings  tarling  Each  for  our  passige 
from  ye  Shore  where  our  Captain  Left  us  to  pleasent  point  where  they  Landed  us. 
and  for  payment  they  Took  and  Stripted  us  of  our  Coats  and  Gowens  we  brough 
from  Ireland  with  us,  making  all  at  their  own  price  from  soom  they  Have  took  fifty 


60  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

Pounds  worth  for  fifteen  pounds  of  this  money  we  are  after  all  our  hardships  to  pay 
according  to  y*  unreasonable  Charge :  we  hope  y  Excellency  (seeing  there  is  no 
officers  here  that  can  come  at  these  Goods  In  the  Sloop  &  Scooner  as  yet  or  can  do 
us  any  Great  Sarvice  In  this  affair)  will  advise  us  who  are  but  poor  men  simple 
women  and  See  justice  done  us  In  this  Strange  Land.  .  .  .  they 
think  it  not  too  Hard  as  we  find  after  all  to  strip  the  Living  and  Lave  us 
almost  Naked.  .  .  .  ye  place  is  not  able  to  support  such  a  Number  of  us  and 
away  we  can  not  get  where  provisions  are  more  plenty  no  Sloop  being  Ready  or 
willing  this  time  of  ye  Year  to  take  us  off:  and  the  most  of  us  scarse  able  to  walk 
through  wakeness  of  Body  &  poverty  the  generality  are  women  or  small  children 

St  Georges  ALECK  CAMPBELL  ? 

Nov.  20,  1 741  $»  WILLM  LUNNEN  $ 

Governor  Shirley  promptly  communicated  this  case  to  the 
General  Court,  saying  that  "  as  Strangers  and  as  they  are  in  a  very 
Calamitous  and  helpless  Condition  they  are  proper  objects  of  our 
Christian  Compassion."  On  the  report  of  a  committee  appointed 
to  investigate  the  matter,  two  days  later  it  was  voted  to  direct  the 
government  officials  at  St.  Georges  to  "  use  all  proper  methods  for 
recovering  thirty-nine  persons  missing  and  enquiring  into  the  abuses 
complained  of."  And  within  three  weeks  from  the  date  of  writing 
of  the  petition,  Sanders's  sloop  was  loading  "  two  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  old  tenor  "  in  provisions,  for  the  benefit  of  the  unhappy  Irish. 

It  was  during  this  same  year  that  a  famine,  second  only  to  that 
dreadful  one  within  our  own  memory,  spread  death  and  terror  over 
unhappy  Ireland.  Hard  was  the  fate  of  emigrants  such  as  these, 
facing  a  long  and  dangerous  voyage,  in  a  crowded  ship,  to  a  savage 
land ;  fleeing  from  starvation  at  home,  only  to  meet  it  in  even  more 
merciless  severity  on  a  wild  sea  or  a  wilder  coast. 

There  were  other  dangers  attending  the  passage  over.  Piracy, 
pure  and  simple,  was  then  an  every-day  story ;  but  whatever  ships 
were  lost  in  that  way  would  hardly  appear  in  the  Boston  records. 
Piracy,  legalized  by  a  declaration  of  war,  and  directed  against  the 
commerce  of  one  of  the  belligerents,  in  other  words,  privateering, 
was  also  a  constant  danger.  The  result  of  a  privateering  exploit 
turned  up  in  Boston  in  1744.  On  the  18th  of  September  arrived 
sixteen    girls    and    three  boys  from    Cape   Breton ;    they  had    left 


THE    IMMIGRANT.  61 

Ireland  for  Philadelphia  in  July,  were  taken  prisoners  by  a  French 
privateer  and  brought  to  Louisburg.  A  number  of  prisoners  taken 
at  Canseau  by  the  French  earlier  in  the  year,  before  tidings  of  the 
war  had  reached  the  colonies,  were  sent  to  Boston,  and  it  is  probable 
that  this  collection  of  Irish  non-combatants  reached  Boston  with  the 
same  party.     They  were  sent  to  the  almshouse. 

At  this  time  the  people  of  Boston  reversed  their  judgment  of 
the  Irish,  although  they  still  stuck  at  the  Catholic.  Emigration  of 
Irish  was  actively  encouraged,  agents  being  sent  to  Ireland,  and  the 
grant  of  a  ship  being  (as  narrated  below)  obtained  for  the  purpose. 
The  Irish  penal  code  was  then  in  operation,  and  the  law  did  not 
suppose  any  such  person  to  exist  as  the  Irish  Roman  Catholic. 

In  the  winter  of  1749-50  the  Province  granted  to  Mr.  Joshua 
Winslow,  Mr.  Thomas  Gunter,  and  Mr.  Samuel  Wentworth  the  loan 
of  the  frigate  "Massachusetts"  for  a  voyage  to  Ireland  and  back,  with 
the  design  of  importing  Irish  Protestants.  It  appears  that  in  some 
way  this  enterprise  was  counted  as  an  exceedingly  profitable  one,  for 
one  of  the  citizens  said  he  would  have  given  "  a  thousand  pounds 
Old  Tenor  "  for  the  grant  of  the  ship,  and  another  offered  deeds  of 
a  hundred  acres  (probably  virgin  forest)  to  any  family  intending  to 
settle  on  the  land  so  conveyed.  "  When  the  Grant  of  the  Ship  was 
first  made  us  the  news  of  it  spread  among  the  Irish  in  a  surprising 
and  quick  manner  into  all  parts  of  the  government.  My  house  soon 
after  was  daily  filld  with  Numbers,  and  they  seemed  so  Elated  and 
Joyous  that  the  Governm*  had  so  taken  notice  of  them,  that  they 
would  encourage  people  enough  to  come,  and  no  doubt  But  the  Ship 
would  be  as  full  as  she  could  stow. 

"  Most  of  them  that  came  wanted  to  send  for  some  Relations  or 
other.  Others  wanted  to  go  as  procurers,  one  saying  he  could  Engage 
to  procure  Twenty,  others  thirty  and  forty  and  so  on.  Mr.  More- 
head  was  also  very  kind  in  assisting  to  write  Circular  Letters  to  all 
his  Friends  far  and  near,  Recommending  this  ship  as  the  best  oppor- 
tunity that  could  offer  for  transporting  themselves."1 

1  Letter  of  Thos.  Gunter  to  the  Ho.  of  Rep.,  16  April,  1754.  Mass.  Arch.  v.  15 A, 
pp.  235-9. 


62  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

Colonel  Wendell,  who  was  one  of  the  committee  appointed  by  the 
General  Court  to  manage  the  business  on  the  part  of  the  Province, 
was  so  exasperated  at  not  being  admitted  to  a  share  in  the  enterprise 
that  he  threw  all  possible  obstacles  in  the  way  of  its  execution.  He 
finally  succeeded  in  making  it  so  profitless  that  the  grantees,  after 
being  at  considerable  expense  in  repairing  the  ship  and  obtaining 
freight,  finally  threw  up  the  project  in  disgust,  and  the  frigate  was 
shortly  afterward  sold. 

At  the  time  that  this  grant  was  made  James  Boies  was  in  Cork 
on  similar  business,  and  wrote  the  following  letter  to  Samuel 
Waldo :  — 

Mr.  Waldo 
Sir 
In  acquiescence  wth  y6  Desire  of  mr  Winslow  that  upon  my  arrival  in 
Ireland  i  should  inform  you  therewith  as  I've  ye  managem'  of  two  Vessels  of  mr  Wm 
Bowdoin's  &  shou'd  be  glad  if  yu  or  friends  in  Ireld  did  intend  to  carry  familys  from 
thence  do  believe  I  should  be  Enabled  to  treat  wth  you  &  Sooner  than  any  other. 
I  Shall  be  ready  to  Sail  from  thence  ab*  ye  20th  of  March  next  &  if  you  have  any 
commds  shall  gladly  Execute  them. 

I  am  Sr 

Your  most  humble  servnt  &c 

JAMES  BOIES 

(PS)  My  business  here  is  to  carry  Passengers  &  Servants  please  to  direct  my 
letf  to  ye  care  of  mr  Wm  Winthrop  merch*  in  Cork. 

Cork  y   2d  February  1749/50. 
To  Sam1  Waldo  Esqt. 

The  dangers  due  to  overcrowding,  though  not  so  prominent  in 
the  case  of  Irish  ships  as  with  the  German  immigrants  of  1750  or 
thereabouts,  undoubtedly  prevailed  to  a  great  extent  on  all  classes 
of  passenger  vessels.  The  following  act,  passed  by  the  General 
Court  in  February,  1750,  shows  the  dangers  that  forced  themselves 
upon  the  attention  of  the  people.  A  penalty  of  five  pounds  per  pas- 
senger was  incurred  by  violation  of  the  provisions  here  quoted.  Full 
authority  was  given  to  the  customs  officials  to  make  needful  exam- 
inations.    The   heartless    and  criminal  parsimony  that  led  to  such 


THE    IMMIGRANT.  63 

horrors  as  that  of  the  sloop  "  Seaflower "  is  also  borne  in  mind  by 
the  legislators. 

An  act  to  regulate  the  Importation  of  Germans  and  other  Passengers  coming 
to  settle  in  this  Province  :  — 

Whereas  Germans  and  other  Foreigners  may  be  Imported  in  so  great  Num- 
bers in  one  Vessel  that  through  want  of  necessary  room  and  Accommodations  they 
may  often  Contract  Mortal  and  Contagious  Distempers  &  thereby  occasion  not  only 
the  death  of  great  Numbers  of  such  Foreigners  in  their  passage  but  also  by  such 
means  on  their  arrival  in  this  Province  those  who  may  arrive  may  be  so  Infected  as 
to  spread  the  Contagion  and  be  the  cause  of  the  death  of  many  others.  —  To  the 
end  therefore  that  such  an  evil  Practice  may  be  prevented  and  Inconveniences 
thence  arising  avoided,  as  much  as  may  be ;  — 

Be  it  therefore  Enacted  by  the  Lieut  Govr  Council  and  House  of  Representa- 
tives, that  from  and  after  the  publication  of  this  Act  no  Master  or  Comander  of  any 
Ship  or  other  Vessel  whatsoever  bound  to  the  Port  of  Boston  or  elsewhere  within 
this  Province  shall  Import  into  said  Port  of  Boston  or  into  any  other  Port  within 
this  Province  any  greater  number  of  Passengers  in  any  one  Ship  or  other  Vessel 
than  such  only  as  shall  be  well  provided  with  good  and  wholesome  Meat,  Drink  and 
other  Necessaries  for  Passengers  and  others  during  the  whole  Voyage ;  and  shall 
have  room  therein  to  contain  for  single  Freight  or  Passengers  of  The  age  of 
Fourteen  years  or  upwards  at  least  six  feet  in  length  and  one  foot  six  inches  in 
breadth.. 

The  modern  emigrant  ship,  with  its  vast  storage  capacity  and 
swift  trips,  is  free  from  many  of  the  dangers  attending  the  slower  and 
less  commodious  vessels  of  earlier  times.  But  even  now  the  immense 
crowd  of  people,  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  in  a  single  ship,  with  ar- 
rangements made  rather  for  sociability  than  for  isolation,  and  to  a 
certain  extent  subject  to  the  authority  and  even  caprice  of  stewards 
and  of  petty  officers  generally,  have  been  exposed  to  considerable 
danger  of  social  corruption,  a  danger  which  has  been  only  recently, 
to  a  certain  extent,  eliminated.  For  what  reform  has  been  accom- 
plished in  this  direction  the  world  owes  its  thanks  to  Miss  Charoltte 
G.  O'Brien,  daughter  of  William  Smith  O'Brien  (the  Irish  rebel  of 
'48,  who  is  said  to  trace  his  descent  from  Brian  Boru),  who  entered 
single-handed  upon  the  task  of  investigating  the  conditions  attending 
the  passage  and  arrival  of  Irish  immigrants  in  America.     At  a  meet- 


64  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

ing  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society,  Nov.  9,  1882,  she  gave  an  account 
of  her  efforts  and  results.  Though  there  still  remains  work  to  be 
done  in  this  direction,  the  friendless  young  Irishwoman  in  one  of 
these  floating  cities  has  much  to  be  thankful  for,  and  far  less  diffi- 
culty in  avoiding  the  snares  that  are  ever  spread  for  youth  and 
chastity. 


THE    KNOW-NOTHING    MOVEMENT.  65 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE   KNOW-NOTHING   MOVEMENT. 


THE  Know-nothing  movement,  so  called,  though  nominally  dk 
rected  against  all  foreigners,  arose  in  the  deep  hatred  that  the 
English  and  their  descendants  bear  against  the  Irish.  Its  cause  is  to 
be  sought  deep  in  the  roots  of  Irish  history.  Like  the  Greeks  and 
Persians,  these  islanders,  that  should  be  allies  and  friends,  as  well  as 
neighbors,  have  stood  always  with  daggers  lifted  to  perpetuate  the 
shame  of  a  faithless  wife,  the  beautiful  Devorgilla,  of  Brefny.  No 
soft-voiced,  effeminate  Paris,  however,  was  Dermot  McMurrough,  the 
betrayer  of  the  Irish  matron.  Hoarse,  gigantic,  bloodthirsty,  and  ty- 
rannical, he  was  dearer  to  her  than  her  own  true  lord,  O'Rorke,  and 
the  joy  of  home  and  kindred.  She  fled  with  him,  and  pursued  by 
her  husband  and  by  the  king,  who  actively  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
O'Rorke,  they  embarked  for  Aquitaine,  where  they  found  Henry 
II.  of  England.  By  his  permission  Dermot  prepared  and  launched 
upon  his  native  land  Strongbow's  army  of  Normans ;  and  in  this 
treachery  began  the  fight  that  has  lasted  without  rest  or  reason  for 
seven  centuries.  The  Norman  arms  and  discipline  were  everywhere 
victorious.  They  built  great  castles  and  lived  by  plunder.  In 
the  course  of  time  they  began  to  assimilate  with  the  native  Irish,  a 
process  which  was  much  hastened  by  the  neglect  or  inability  of 
England  to  protect  the  loyal  Anglo-Irish  in  times  of  rebellion. 

The  faithlessness  of  Devorgilla  bore  fruit  two  centuries  later  in 
the  infamous  statute  of  Kilkenny,1  which  separated  the  body  of  Ire- 
land into  two  parts,  —  the  English  Ireland  being  the  head,  entitled  to 
reasonable  consideration ;  and  the  Irish  Ireland,  the  tail,  which  existed 
only  for  the  sake  of  the  head,  and  had  of  itself  no  claim  to  any  kind 
of  consideration.     The  separation  was  rigid.     Intermarriage  and  fos- 

1  40  Edward  III.,  Irish  Stat. 


V 


66  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

terage  were  high  treason.  English  ecclesiastical  preferments,  monas- 
teries, horses,  weapons,  and  any  supplies,  were  forbidden  to  pass 
from  English  to  Irish ;  the  Irish  dress,  their  native  manner  of  riding, 
their  Irish  language,  or  any  mixing  with  the  English,  was  forbidden. 
The  murder  of  an  Irishman  or  the  violation  of  an  Irishwoman  was  no 
crime,  and  war  upon  the  Irish  was  the  sacred  duty  of  the  English  of 
the  Pale.  It  is  true  that  these  enactments  were  not  enforced,  and 
that  their  very  ferocity  is  an  index  of  the  weakness  of  the  dominant 
body ;  but  one  can  see  "  that  such  as  had  the  government  of  Ireland 
did  indeed  intend  to  make  a  perpetual  enmity  between  the  English 
and  the  Irish,  pretending  that  the  English  should  in  the  end  root  out 
the  Irish."  Although  the  rooting  out  is  not  yet  completed,  the 
hatred  which  inspired  this  spiteful  statute  has  grown  by  exercise 
through  centuries ;  and  the  spectacle  that  Ireland  furnishes  in  history 
is  not  unlike  the  condition  of  some  households  in  the  South  before 
"  the  Institution  "  disappeared,  where  of  the  daughters  of  one  father 
one  served  the  other  early  and  late  with  all  self-sacrifice  and  devotion, 
and  for  return  had  contempt  and  cruel  abuse. 

When  the  Reformation  came,  Ireland's  condition  took  the  one 
possible  increase  of  misery.  Religious  animosity  was  added  to  the 
race-hatred  that  had  embittered  her  servitude ;  and  from  that  time 
forward  the  Engl;  hman  has  known  no  honest  faith,  no  Christian 
charity,  no  human  mercy,  for  the  "  wild  Irish "  of  Ireland's  native 
race. 

To  that  inherited  hate,  fostered  by  a  careful  silence  of  English 
historians  on  the  merits  and  grievances  of  the  Irish,  and  by  a  not  less 
careful  emphasis  on  her  religion,  her  wild  and  desperate  struggles 
for  relief  or  vengeance,  her  physical,  mental,  and  moral  starvation, 
America  owes  the  mis-named  "  American  "  movement.  It  has  sunk 
to  sleep  in  times  of  danger,  and  the  universally  acknowledged  superi- 
ority of  Irish  soldiers  has  never  gone  begging.  Irishmen  signed  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  Irishmen  like  "  saucy  Jack  Barry"  in 
the  navy,  like  John  Sullivan  in  the  army,  like  Charles  Carroll  in  the 
halls  of  state-craft,  have  not  been  heedlessly  thrown  away. 

It  is  in  the  piping  times  of  peace,  when  the  natural  activity  and 


THE    KNOW-NOTHING    MOVEMENT.  67 

enterprise  of  Irishmen  makes  them  formidable  competitors  for  leader- 
ship, that  the  narrow-minded,  the  cowardly,  and  the  ignorant  fear  to 
put  "  aliens"  in  command  of  a  nation  whose  victories  were  in  great 
part  paid  for  by  the  blood  of  the  alien  race. 

Probably  the  first  recorded  symptom  of  this  distemper  is  the 
utterance  of  Cotton  Mather,  in  a  sermon  entitled  "A  Pillar  of  Grati- 
tude," delivered  in  1700,  in  honor  of  the  arrival  of  Governor  Bello- 
mont,  and  containing  a  good  deal  of  rather  unnecessary  praise  of 
that  functionary.  The  passage  referred  to  says :  "  There  has  been 
formidable  Attempts  of  Satan  and  his  Sons  to  Unsettle  us :  But 
what  an  overwhelming  blast  from  Heaven  has  defeated  all  those 
Attempts?  ...  At  length  it  was  proposed  that  a  Colony 
of  Irish  might  be  sent  over  to  check  the  growth  of  this  Coun- 
trey :  An  Happy  Revolution  spoil'd  that  Plot  :  and  many  an  one 
of  more  general  consequence  than  That!"  It  seems  as  if  the 
reverend  gentleman  did  not  quite  understand  the  characteristics  of 
the  Irish  ;  certainly,  if  he  were  alive  now,  the  most  cursory  inspection 
of  the  registry  of  births  would  convince  him  that  if  any  one  is 
"  checking  the  growth  of  this  Countrey  "  it  is  not  the  Irish. 

A  dozen  years  or  so  afterward,  when  Irish  began  to  come  in 
considerable  numbers  to  the  shores  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  Boston 
trembled  again  for  the  purity  of  her  English  stock,  and  finally  took 
heart  to  impose  regulations  upon  the  march  of  colonization.  The 
town-meeting  of  May  4,  1723,  passed  the  following  order:  x  — 

Whereas  great  numbers  of  Persons  have  very  lately  bin  Transported  from 
Ireland  into  this  Province,  many  of  which  by  Reason  of  the  Present  Indian  war  and 
other  Accedents  befalling  them,  Are  now  Resident  in  this  Town  whose  Circum- 
stances and  Condition  are  not  known,  Some  of  which  if  due  care  be  not  taken  may 
become  a  Town  Charge  or  be  otherwise  prejuditial  to  the  well  fair  &  Prosperity  of 
the  Place. 

For  Remedy  whereof  Ordered  That  Every  Person  now  Resident  here,  that 
hath  within  the  space  of  three  years  last  past  bin  brought  from  Ireland,  or  for  the 
future  shal  come  from  thence  hither,  Shal  come  and  Enter  his  name  and  Occu- 
pation with  the  Town  Clerk  and  if  marryed  the  number  and  Age  of  his  Children 
and  Servants,  within  the  space  of  five  dayes,  on  pain  of  forfeiting  and  paying  the 

'Records,   1723,  p.  177. 


68  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

Sum  of  twenty  Shillings  for  each  offence,  And  the  Sum  of  ten  Shillings  for  Every 
one  that  Shal  Continue  in  the  neglect  or  non-Observance  of  this  Order,  for  and 
During  the  term  of  forty-Eight  hours  after  the  expiration  of  the  fiue  dayes  afore- 
said So  often  as  the  Person  offending  Shal  be  complained  of  and  Convict  before 
any  Justice  of  the  Peace  within  the  Said  County. 

And  be  it  further  Ordered  that  whoever  Shall  Receive  and  Entertain  and  keep 
in  his  family  any  Person  or  Persons  Transported  from  Ireland  as  aforesaid,  Shal 
within  the  Space  of  forty-Eight  hours  after  Such  Receipt  and  Entertainment  Return 
the  Names  of  all  Such  Persons  with  their  Circomstances  as  far  as  they  are  able  to 
the  Town  Clerk.  On  Penalty  of  Twenty  Shillings  fine  for  the  first  forty-Eight 
hours  and  Ten  Shillings  for  Ever}-  twenty-four  houres  he  Shal  be  convict  after  the  first 
forty-Eight  hours  and  so  toties  quoties. 

And  yet  it  is  to  these  very  immigrants,  who  are  thus  inveighed 
against  here,  that  New  England  owes  what  she  now  prizes  as  the 
most  precious  relic  of  her  grandmothers,  —  the  spinning-wheel  of 
the  past,  —  now  rising  from  garret-graves  throughout  the  breadth  of 
the  land,  to  bless  with  its  shadowy  memories  the  hearthstones  of  the 
present. 

At  the  time  of  the  Revolution  there  were  many  Irishmen  in 
Boston;  enough  to  form  a  Tory  company,  —  the  Loyal  Irish  Vol- 
unteers, —  and  to  send  many  recruits  into  the  patriot  ranks  as  well. 
Individuals,  like  Knox,  Cargill,  and  Malcom,  rose  into  public  notice 
as  representatives  of  their  race ;  others,  like  Crean  Brush,  and  the 
"  mean-looking  Irishman,"  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  "  horred 
Massacre  "  of  March  5,  1770,1  were  so  rare  as  to  prove  the  rule  of  Irish 
worth  by  forming  the  needful  though  unwelcome  exceptions.  Catho- 
lics then  began  to  avow  themselves,  and  to  claim  the  right  to  worship. 

Immediately  after  the  war  was  over  Irishmen  appeared  and  took 
their  share  in  the  liberty  and  prosperity  of  the  town.  In  the  Boston 
Directories  for  1789  and  1796,  the  only  ones  extant  bearing  an  earlier 
date  than  1800,  occur  many  names  that  must  be  readily  recognized 
as  Irish.  Some  of  the  more  noticeable  are  Thomas  and  John  Barry, 
Michael  Burns,  John  and  Owen  Callahan,  Daniel  Carney,  Patrick 
Connor,  Jeremiah  Driscoll,  Patrick  Duggan,  Patrick  Lyons,  Michale 
Mahoney,   Patrick    O'Brien,    Patrick  Welch,    Flynn,   Foley,    Hurly, 

1  See  Drake,  p.  779. 


THE    KNOW-NOTHING    MOVEMENT.  69 

Kelly,  Lynch,  McGee,  McCarthy,  Murphy.  Here  and  there  a  name 
like  Patience  Callahan  shows  a  curious  mixture  of  Puritan  and  Irish. 
Sarah  Malcom,  the  widow  of  Captain  Daniel  Malcom,  kept  a  board- 
ing-house on  Ship  (now  North)  street.  Claude  de  la  Poterie,  Roman 
Catholic  priest,  vice-prefect,  and  missionary  apostolic,  rector  of  the 
church  in  South  Latin  School  street,  lived  in  Oliver's  lane.  Crowley 
&  Clark  were  tobacconists  in  Market  square  (now  Faneuil  Hall 
square).  John  Boyle  and  his  son  were  booksellers.  Christian 
Gullagher  was  a  "  limner,"  i.e.  a  portrait  painter.  Patrick  Kenny 
was  a  comedian.  Anna  McClure  was  a  schoolmistress.  Neil  & 
Getty  kept  an  Irish  linen  store  on  Hanover  street.  James  Sullivan 
was  attorney-general,  and  his  son  William,  then  twenty-two  years 
old,  was  in  practice  as  a  lawyer.  Thomas  Welsh,  the  patriotic  physi- 
cian, was  at  this  time  a  member  of  the  school  committee. 

No  sooner  did  Irish  citizenship  thus  fairly  appear  and  claim  an 
independent  existence  of  equal  rank  with  the  other  nationalities  in 
a  country  which  has  ever  styled  itself,  and  with  truth,  as  the  asylum 
of  the  oppressed  of  all  lands,  than  the  old  British  instinct  began  to 
assert  itself  in  the  form  of  a  persistent  denial  of  the  fitness  of  Irishmen 
for  "political  activity  of  any  kind. 

In  the  wars  between  England  and  France,  our  commerce  suf- 
fered impartially  at  the  hands  of  either ;  and  the  exasperated  state 
of  public  feeling  was  gradually  overcoming  the  horror  of  war  from 
which  the  surrender  of  Yorktown  had  relieved  us.  The  war  party  in 
the  national  councils  was  divided  into  two  hostile  camps :  one  was 
for  war  with  Great  Britain,  and  these  were  called  Democrats;  the 
others,  the  Federalists,  were  for  war  with  France. 

Now,  the  immigrants  of  this  time  were,  with  very  few  and  insig- 
nificant exceptions,  exiles  from  Great  Britain.  The  unsuccessful 
rising  in  Ireland  in  1798,  the  rigid  censorship  of  speech  and  press 
that  preceded  and  followed  it,  the  vengeful  memory  of  civil  war  and 
conquest  on  the  one  hand,  and  among  the  insurgents  the  bitterness 
of  defeat,  furnished  weighty  reasons  for  many  an  exodus  from  the 
land  of  sorrow.  Such  immigrants  naturally  took  the  Democratic 
side,  and  the  rapid  increase  of  that  party,  due  to   such  accessions, 


70  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

formed  the  basis  for  active  anti-alien  action  on  the  part  of  the 
Federalists.  In  1795  the  period  of  residence  prerequisite  to  citizen- 
ship, which  by  the  first  naturalization  act  was  only  two  years,  was 
extended  to  five;  and  in  1798,  taking  advantage  of  the  strong  war 
feeling  against  France  and  the  apparently  unassailable  supremacy  of 
their  party,  the  Federalists  pushed  the  residence-period  to  fourteen 
years.  This  policy  was  not,  of  course,  likely  to  attract  many  immi- 
grants to  the  Federalists'  side ;  the  foreign-born  citizens,  with  natural 
unanimity,  took  refuge  in  the  ranks  of  the  Democrats ;  and  as  their 
political  existence  depended  on  their  activity,  they  turned  out  to  be 
valuable  recruits  to  the  party  of  which  they  are  to-day  no  incon- 
siderable portion.  The  accession  to  the  presidency  of  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson, in  1800,  paved  the  way  to  the  naturalization  act  of  1802, 
which  reduced  the  period  of  residence  to  five  years,  insured  fresh 
reenforcements  of  aliens,  and  formed  the  Democratic  policy  in  regard 
to  naturalization. 

It  is  to  her  alien  party,  and  especially  to  her  Irish  foster-sons, 
that  America  owes  the  glorious  history  of  the  War  of  1812.  Foster, 
who  had  been  the  British  Minister  at  Washington,  and  who  had  done 
his  best  to  avert  hostilities,  on  his  return  testified  in  Parliament  that 
the  war  with  America  had  been  kindled  by  the  Irish  exiles ;  and 
that  among  the  members  of  Congress  who  voted  for  war  were  six 
who  had  been  known  as  members  of  the  Society  of  United  Irishmen. 

This  war  was  very  unpopular  at  the  North,  and  particularly  so 
in  New  England.  Toward  the  end  of  the  year  18 14,  representatives 
of  the  anti-war  feeling  met  in  convention  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  and 
passed  a  series  of  resolutions  full  of  the  most  ominous  resentment 
at  the  national  government,  and  almost  threatening  secession.  They 
recommended  that  "  naturalized  foreigners  should  be  debarred  from 
membership  in  Congress  and  from  all  civil  offices  under  the  United 
States." 

After  their  adjournment,  however,  the  brilliant  close  of  the  war 
so  overwhelmed  all  opposition  and  seized  upon  the  hearts  of  the 
people,  that  the  delegates  to  the  convention  were  most  heartily 
ashamed  of  their  work,  and  dropped  the  rebellious  agitation  like  a 


THE    KNOW-NOTHING    MOVEMENT.  71 

hot  potato.  So  it  has  been  nearly  always  in  the  history  of  our 
country  thus  far:  whenever  the  storm  of  hatred  and  prejudice 
seemed  almost  ready  to  drive  back  into  the  sea  the  foreigners  that 
sought  refuge  on  our  shores,  some  great  national  crisis  has  arisen 
that  has  given  them,  strangers  and  friendless  as  they  were,  an  oppor- 
tunity to  show  how  stubbornly  they  can  fight  and  how  bravely  they 
can  die  for  a  flag  that  is  ready  to  protect  them  in  freedom. 

The  hostility  to  the  Irish  sometimes  took  a  religious  phase, 
but  it  is  undeniable  that  no  very  bitter  or  long-continued  opposition 
has  been  manifested  against,  say,  the  French ;  while  against  the 
Irish  the  excitement  has  run  so  high  that  on  more  than  one  occa- 
sion the  peace  of  the  city  has  been  seriously  threatened  by  it. 
Curiously  enough  this  rancorous  feeling  culminated  in  open  outrage 
just  about  one  hundred  years  after  the  earlier  Irish  immigrants, 
finding  themselves  rather  coolly  received  in  Boston,  formed  a  society 
for  their  own  enjoyment,  and  for  the  succor  of  unfortunate  kindred. 

On  Sunday,  June  n,  1837,  occurred  the  famous  Broad-street 
riot.  An  Irish  funeral  procession,  going  along  East  street,  met  a 
fire  company  returning  from  a  fire  in  Roxbury.  A  contest  began 
about  the  right  of  way,  in  which,  at  first,  the  funeral  people  had  the 
best  of  it,  and  took  possession  of  the  engine-house.  The  firemen 
went  to  the  churches  and  sounded  an  alarm  of  fire,  to  which  the 
other  companies  responded,  and  now  drove  the  Irish  through  to 
Purchase  and  Broad  streets.  They  sought  refuge  in  their  houses, 
but  their  assailants  followed  them,  breaking  their  windows  and 
smashing  furniture.  The  air  was  full  of  flying  feathers  and  straw 
from  the  beds  which  had  been  ripped  up  and  emptied  into  the  street. 
Some  of  the  tenement-houses  were  completely  sacked,  the  occupants 
fleeing  for  their  lives.  The  mayor  of  the  city,  Samuel  A.  Eliot,  was 
early  on  the  scene,  but  with  the  scanty  police  at  his  disposal  could 
do  little  to  control  the  disturbance.  He  took  immediate  steps  to  call 
out  the  military.  The  National  Lancers,  a  cavalry  company  recently 
organized,  were  all  well  known  and  easily  reached,  and  in  about  two 
hours  after  the  beginning  of  the  riot  the  mayor  entered  Broad 
street  with    about   eight  hundred    men,  the    Lancers    heading   the 


72  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

column.  The  riot  was  speedily  quelled ;  but  the  people  were  so 
excited  that  a  military  patrol  was  maintained  all  night,  and  sentinels 
were  posted  at  the  churches  to  prevent  false  alarms. 

At  the  official  investigation,  the  blame  for  beginning  the  disturb- 
ance was  equally  divided  between  the  firemen  and  the  Irishmen. 
It  was  estimated  that  over  fifteen  thousand  persons  were  concerned 
in  the  disturbance.  No  lives  were  lost,  but  there  was  a  great  deal 
of  pretty  tough  fighting,  and  a  considerable  amount  of  property 
destroyed.  One  fireman  was  stretched  senseless  near  Liverpool 
wharf,  and  the  rumor  that  he  had  been  killed  added  fury  to  the  riot. 
Several  of  the  "  native  Americans  "  were  brought  before  the  court 
and  held  in  three  or  four  hundred  dollars.  The  forbearance  of  the 
Irish  on  previous  occasions,  as,  for  example,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
burning  of  the  Catholic  convent  at  Charlestown,  had  led  the  people 
to  look  to  them  for  unusual  self-control  in  such  matters;  though  few 
men  of  any  nation  could  be  expected  to  look  with  calmness  on  the 
desolation  of  a  not  too  comfortable  home  and  the  reckless  and 
causeless  abuse  of  countrymen  and  friends. 

Similar  mob  violence  occurred  at  other  periods  in  the  history  of 
the  city.  These  outrages  were  not  countenanced  by  the  better  class 
of  Bostonians,  but,  unfortunately,  they  were  so  fierce  in  design  and 
so  relentless  in  execution  that  their  traces  will  always  remain  as 
blemishes  in  the  city's  bright  record.  About  the  year  1837  a  com- 
pany of  naturalized  Irishmen,  and  men  of  Irish  descent,  organized  a 
militia  company,  and  took  to  themselves  the  name  of  "  The  Mont- 
gomery Guards,"  after  the  famous  Revolutionary  general  of  that  name, 
whose  Irish  blood  did  not  bar  him  from  the  friendship  of  Washington 
nor  from  the  devotion  of  American  soldiers  and  people.  On  Septem- 
ber 12,  1837,  a  brigade  inspection  was  held  on  Boston  Common,  under 
Gen.  J.  L.  C.  Amee.  The  brigade  comprised  Major  Hoppin's  bat- 
talion of  artillery,  in  three  companies  ;  the  National  Lancers,  attached 
to  the  Second  Regiment  of  Infantry ;  the  Pulaski  Guards,  attached  to 
the  Third  ;  and  the  ten  companies  of  Colonel  Smith's  regiment  of  light 
infantry.  One  of  these  ten  companies  was  the  Montgomery  Guards. 
Prejudice  and  race  antipathy  had  risen  to  such  a  height  that  the  mem- 


THE    KNOW-NOTHING    MOVEMENT.  "73 

bers  of  many  of  the  other  companies  of  the  regiment  had  deliberately 
planned  to  march  off  the  field  if  the  Irish  company  appeared  on 
parade.  They  did,  of  course,  appear;  and,  in  accordance  with  the 
agreement,  no  sooner  had  the  regiment  formed  upon  the  parade- 
ground  than  the  privates  and  non-commissioned  officers  of  one  of 
the  anti-Irish  companies,  called  the  City  Guards,  left  the  field,  under 
the  leadership  of  a  sergeant,  in  disobedience  to  the  commands  of 
their  officers  and  in  gross  violation  of  military  discipline.  This  dis- 
graceful example  was  followed  by  other  companies,  the  Lafayette 
Guards,  the  Washington  Light  Infantry,  and  a  large  portion  of  the 
Fusileers,  and  of  the  Mechanic  Riflemen.  The  commissioned 
officers,  and  in  some  cases  a  part  of  the  warrant  officers  and  privates, 
stood  to  their  posts ;  but  three  companies  entire  and  portions  of  the 
others  were  sufficient  to  give  to  the  mutiny  an  aspect  of  previous 
concert  and  of  determined  insubordination  not  at  all  reassuring  to 
the  friends  of  good  order.  The  deserting  companies  marched 
through  the  streets  to  their  quarters  with  drum  and  fife,  playing 
"  Yankee  Doodle,"  and  company  standards  flying  beside  the  United 
States  flag. 

In  the  afternoon,  when  the  companies  were  dismissed,  the  Mont- 
gomery Guards  with  the  others  left  the  Common  and  proceeded  to- 
wards their  armory  near  Faneuil  Hall.  They  were  followed  by  a 
mob  who  pelted  them  with  stones,  coal,  and  sticks  of  wood  all  along 
their  line  of  march.  Not  the  least  reprisal  was  attempted  by  the 
Guards,  but  keeping  their  ranks  and  marching  steadily  through  the 
spiteful  shower  of  missiles,  they  reached  their  armory,  and  from  there 
quietly  dispersed  to  their  homes,  having  set  an  example  for  self- 
restraint  and  devotion  to  duty  that  put  the  "  natives  "  to  shame. 

Governor  Everett,  who  on  the  preceding  St.  Patrick's  day  had 
attended  the  centennial  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society,  and  knew 
some  little  of  the  worth  and  antiquity  of  Irish  citizens'  service,  issued  a 
proclamation  denouncing  in  strong  terms  the  conduct  of  the  City 
Guards  and  their  imitators,  and  expressing  warm  approval  "  of  the 
exemplary  behavior  of  the  Montgomery  Guards  under  the  trying  cir- 
cumstances in  which  they  were  placed  in  the  course  of  the  day." 


74  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

Of  the  forty  members  of  this  company,  thirty-two  were  native- 
born,  and  only  eight  were  naturalized.  It  is  more  than  probable  that 
it  contained  the  sons  of  Irishmen  whose  fathers  had  fought  in  the 
battles  of  the  Revolution.  The  Lafayette  Guards  and  the  Columbian 
Artillery  Company  afterwards  became  known  as  Irish  organizations ; 
and  the  latter,  after  its  disbandment,  formed  an  association  which 
was  the  nucleus  of  Company  A  of  the  Irish  Ninth.  Such  is  the 
irony  of  history. 

The  organization  of  nativism  in  America  was  un-American  in 
every  particular.  Nominations  were  made  by  secret  meetings  of  per- 
sons unknown  to  the  great  majority  of  the  members,  and  voted  for  on 
pain  of  expulsion.  It  was  a  secret,  oath-bound  fraternity,  whose  real 
objects  and  even  whose  name  were  not  revealed  to  its  own  members 
till  they  had  reached  the  higher  degrees  of  initiation.  During  a  cer- 
tain investigation  this  regulation  caused  witnesses  who  were  members 
to  reply  constantly  "I  don't  know,"  and  suggested  the  name  by  which 
the  movement  has  since  been  called.  The  name  of  the  association 
was  said  to  be  "The  Sons  of '76;  or,  the  Order  of  the  Star-Spangled 
Banner."  At  first,  selections  of  the  best  candidates  were  made  from 
either  party,  and  as  they  were  secretly  communicated  to  the  members 
and  universally  balloted  for  by  them,  the  results  were  the  despair  of 
the  political  calculator.  In  New  York  City  the  election  of  1843 
had  gone  to  the  Democrats,  and  the  fight  had  been  for  years  so  close, 
so  desperately  contested,  and  so  various  in  result,  that  the  feeling 
between  partisans  was  exasperated  and  bitter;  and  the  victors,  as  a 
home-thrust  to  the  vanquished,  gave  the  lion's  share  of  the  city  patron- 
age to  foreigners.  The  next  year  brought  an  "  American  "  victory,  in 
which  the  vote  stood  24,510  "  American,"  20,538  Democratic,  5,297 
Whig.  In  Philadelphia  riots  between  the  natives  and  the  Irish  led  to  the 
burning  of  two  Catholic  churches  and  the  cracking  of  the  Liberty  bell. 
In  1845  New  York  and  Philadelphia  gave  native  majorities.  In  1847 
the  American  party  in  New  York  City  was  invisible.  In  the  same 
year,  in  Boston,  an  assembly  of  all  the  lodges  in  the  neighborhood 
was  arranged  to  meet,  on  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill, 
in  the  midst  of  a  crowded  settlement  of  Irish  on  Fort  Hill.     Warned 


THE    KNOW-NOTHING    MOVEMENT.  75 

and  exhorted  by  their  clergy,  "  followers  of  an  Italian  prince  "  though 
they  were,  the  Irish  remained  that  day  within  their  humble  homes, 
and  allowed  the  insulting  procession  to  have  its  unpatriotic  holiday, 
without  furnishing  them  the  opportunity  they  sought  for  marring  the 
peace  of  the  city. 

The  spirit  of  the  leaders  of  this  movement,  many  of  whom  were 
in  other  things  worthy  of  all  respect,  is  well  shown  by  the  following 
"  Address  "  to  the  native  Americans  of  New  York,  signed  "J.  T.  B.," 
and  printed  in  the  editorial  columns  of  the  Boston  "  Courier,"  Oct. 
31,  1844.  The  author  was  Joseph  T.  Buckingham.  Extracts  only 
are  here  given : — 

.  .  .  In  the  plentitude  of  that  generosity  which  has  induced  us  to  feed 
the  hungry,  clothe  the  naked,  ...  we  have  warmed  into  life  the  torpid  viper 
and  the  fanged  adder,  that  already  begin  to  show  their  teeth  and  spit  their  venom 
upon  our  dear  and  blood-bought  privileges,  our  sacred  and  most  cherished  insti- 
tutions. Already  the  foreigners  .  .  .  attempt  to  control  our  legislators,  to 
nominate  our  magistrates,  and  to  brow-beat  our  voters  at  the  ballot-box ;  and  if 
any  of  them  are  too  diffident  or  too  ignorant  to  talk  to  us  in  the  tone  of  defiance 
and  domination,  they  sell  their  votes  to  the  more  enlightened  and  crafty  demagogue, 
and  perjure  their  souls  at  the  command  of  profligate  leaders.  Give  to  them  freely 
all  the  advantages  which  your  children  enjoy  —  pay  them  liberally  for  their  labor  — 
help  them  to  acquire  property  by  enterprise  and  industry  —  and  when,  like  your 
children,  they  have  lived  among  you  twerity-one  years,  let  them  exercise  your  common 
privilege  of  admission  to  the  ballot-boxes. 

The  unsuccessful  risings  and  the  dreadful  famine  in  Ireland, 
between  1846  and  1850,  sent  crowds  of  emigrants  to  America,  and 
politics  soon  began  to  feel  the  impetus  of  their  addition  to  Demo- 
cratic ranks.  Much  was  said  in  nativist  circles  about  "  the  greed 
and  incapacity  of  foreign-born  citizens  for  office."  The  periodic 
Catholic  scare  reached  one  of  its  maxima.  On  the  crest  of  this  rose 
another  wave  of  the  anti-Irish  excitement,  which  Boston  felt  severely. 
Political  associates  were  taunted  with  the  alliance  of  "  Irishmen 
fresh  from  the  bogs  of  Ireland,"  who  were  "  led  up  to  the  desk  like 
dumb  brutes,  their  hands  guided  to  make  a  straight  mark,"  and  to 
"vote    down  intelligent,  honest  native  citizens."      In    185 1,    under 


76  THE    IRISH    IX    BO  ST  OX. 

Mayor  John  P.  Bigelow,  the  Charitable  Irish  Society  respectfully  de- 
clined an  invitation  to  participate  in  the  Railroad  jubilee  procession, 
"for  causes  and  from  feelings  best  known  to  themselves,"  most 
probably  on  account  of  the  disagreeable  position  that  they  would  be 
placed  in  if  they  accepted   and  appeared  in  the  parade. 

The  next  year  Benjamin  Seaver  was  elected  mayor,  and  the 
"  Traveller  "  shortly  afterward  contained  an  announcement  that  the 
Catholic  priesthood,  on  the  ground  that  the  Irish  had  put  him  in 
office,  would  shortly  demand,  among  other  revolutionary  and 
dangerous  things,  that  the  Catholic  priests  should  visit  the  city  in- 
stitutions at  South  Boston  and  Deer  Island.  Mild  as  that  measure 
seems  to  us  to-dav,  it  was  undoubtedlv  dangerous  and  revolution- 
ary  in  the  eyes  of  the  ill-balanced  cranks  of  the  time.  One 
of  the  especial  bugbears  of  the  Know-nothings  was  the  project 
of  selling  the  jail  lands  on  Leverett  street  to  the  Catholics :  prop- 
erty was  to  be  run  down  by  the  building  of  a  Catholic  church  in 
that  locality,  and  possibly  there  were  other  dangers ;  at  any  rate, 
it  was  as  effective  for  the  Know-nothing  politician  as  a  red  rag 
for  a  bull. 

After  two  terms  of  Mayor  Seaver  came  two  terms  of  Jerome 
Van  Crowninshield  Smith,1  a  Know-nothing  sachem,  whose  adminis- 
tration wore  out  the  patiences  of  the  city.  The  expenses  of  the  ten 
months,  January-October,  1S55,  were  $12,586,  including  over 
$2,500  for  carriage-hire  and  refreshments ;  and  in  addition  a  little  item 
labelled  "  Probable  amount  due  at  Young's  Hotel,"  amounting  to 
$1,500.  The  expenses  for  this  single  year  were  greater  than  for  both 
of  Seaver  s  administrations,  and  the  city  debt  was  increased  nearly  one 
million  of  dollars.  The  people  were  justly  incensed  at  the  abuse  of 
a  government  which  made  such  great  pretensions  as  to  "  morality, 
temperance,  and  religion :  "  a  large  meeting  was  held  in  Faneuil  Hall, 
and  from  this  agitation  sprang  the  citizens'  movement,  which  has 
since  taken  a  very  important  part  in  our  political  history. 

The  American  faction  nominated  Nathaniel  B.  Shurtleff,  a  good 

1  His  initials  used  to  be  translated  Jerome  Vaccinating  the  Children  Smith,  on  account 
of  an  unpopular  regulation  as  to  vaccination  in  the  schools. 


THE    KNOW-NOTHING    MOVEMENT.  11 

man  in  a  bad  cause,  and  resorted  to  the  old-fashioned  tricks,  and 
falsehoods,  and  insults  to  bring  contempt  upon  their  opponents. 
The  Boston  "  Bee"  was  perhaps  the  most  virulent.  November  28  it 
contained  this  editorial :  "  It  is  currently  reported  that  the  self-con- 
stituted, dark-lantern  clique  of  sixty,  in  making  up  their  ticket  for 
Mayor  and  Aldermen,  waited  upon  f  John,  Bishop  of  Boston,1 
and  consulted  His  Holiness.  .  .  .  f  John  urged  the  claims  of 
two  or  more  on  the  Aldermen  list,  remarking  that  if  they  were 
upon  the  ticket  he  would  pledge  the  entire  Catholic  vote  of  Boston 
for  the  Committee's  tickets.  .  .  .  This  is  nothing  new. 
Some  few  years  since  during  the  season  of  the  Whig  ward  and  city 
committee  ...  a  committee  was  appointed  to  wait  upon  f  John 
and  get  him  to  suggest  some  names  that  would  be  acceptable  to  the 
Irish  voters.  .  .  .  This  is  the  manner  in  which  the  American 
citizens  of  Boston  have  been  treated  by  the  Whig  party  and  [the 
citizens'  committee]  are  now  endeavoring  to  gain  the  ascendancy  by 
the  same  contemptible  means." 

On  the  same  day  the  "  Post,"  a  Democratic  paper,  contained  the 
following  in  regard  to  the  citizens'  ticket :  "  This  will  be  opposed  by 
the  Protestant  Jesuits,  a  thoroughly  drilled  phalanx  which  a  Loyola 
could  have  gloried  in ;  bound  together  by  oaths ;  working  by  politi- 
cal machinery  the  most  perfect  ever  worked ;  and  which,  however 
much  shattered  in  other  States,  remains  tight  and  strong  and  in 
sound  order  in  Massachusetts.  This  fact  should  be  looked  full  in 
the  face.  It  counsels  thorough  organized  effort  on  the  part  of  those 
in  favor  of  the  citizens'  ticket." 

The  contest  was  close  and  exciting,  the  undeniable  worth  of  the 
Know-nothing  candidate  making  the  defeat  of  his  party  difficult; 
but  the  result  was  the  election  of  Alexander  H.  Rice,  one  of  the  best 
mayors  Boston  ever  had. 

It  was  in  this  year  that  the  Columbian  Artillery,  an  Irish  com- 
pany, voluntarily  disbanded  to  escape  persecution  at  the  hands  of 
the  State  Government ;  they  subsequently  organized  as  the  Colum- 

JRt.  Rev.  John  Bernard  Fitzpatrick,  died  1 866;  son  of  Bernard  Fitzpatrick,  one  of  the 
early  members  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society. 


78  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

bian  Associates,  and,  as  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  chapter,  formed 
a  point  of  beginning  for  the  Ninth  Regiment. 

The  anti-slavery  contest  now  rose  into  prominence  and  ensured 
the  total  wreck  of  the  so-called  American  party.  In  the  national 
election  they  were  almost  completely  buried,  receiving  as  their  share 
of  the  two  hundred  and  ninety-six  electoral  votes  only  the  eight 
votes  of  Maryland.  Their  strength  in  New  Hampshire  sank  from 
thirty-two  thousand  in  March  to  a  little  over  four  hundred  in  No- 
vember. Popular  attention  was  soon  turned  towards  the  restive 
South,  and  in  the  tornado  of  civil  strife  which  soon  burst  upon  our 
distracted  country,  many  Irishmen  won  citizenship  on  the  field  of 
battle,  rallying  and  falling  around  the  green  flag  that,  alas  !  can 
never  wave  but  in  a  foreign  fight.  No  five  years'  probation  then  — 
only  the  bloody  ordeal  of  the  cannon,  the  rifle,  and  the  bayonet ; 
and  not  a  few  of  Erin's  sons  entered  upon  citizenship  and  immor- 
tality together.  Let  us  hope  that  in  that  fierce  flame  the  Know- 
nothing  stubble  was  totally  consumed. 


There  are  other  pages  to  which  we  would  gladly  turn,  —  glimpses 
of  neighborly  kindness  —  "  good  deeds  in  a  naughty  world,"  shining 
encouragingly  from  salient  points  in  Irish  and  American  history. 
But  such  occurrences,  overbalancing  as  they  do  the  most  disheartening 
items  of  the  preceding  account,  are  not  in  the  same  sense  exclu- 
sively a  portion  of  Boston's  history.  The  most  recent  and  most 
valuable  token  of  this  generosity  is  the  noble  support  which  America 
is  giving  to  the  Home  Rule  agitation,  not  only  in  money,  which  is 
of  course  indispensable,  but  also  in  moral  encouragement,  where 
Boston's  influence  is  freely  and  effectively  bestowed.  One  cannot 
but  remember  the  earnest  sympathy  of  Ireland  with  the  American 
colonies  in  the  darkest  hour  of  their  need ;  we  venture  to  add  an 
instance  of  this  mutual  regard  immediately  connected  with  the  pre- 
revolutionary  excitement  in  Boston. 

At  the  town-meeting  of  March   12,   1771,   about  a  year  after 


THE    KNOW-NOTHING    MOVEMENT.  79 

the  "  massacre "  in  State  street,  a  letter  "  from  that  celebrated 
Patriot,  Dr.  Lucas,  of  Ireland,1  owning  the  Receipt  of  one  transmitted 
him  by  a  Committee  of  this  Town  together  with  the  Pamphlet  rela- 
tive to  the  horred  Massacre  in  Boston  March  5,  1770  —  was  read 
and  attended  to  with  the  highest  satisfaction."  Dr.  Joseph  Warren, 
Samuel  Adams,  and  two  others  were  appointed  a  committee  to  reply- 
to  this  letter.  This  distinguished  Irishman  was  a  physician  of  high 
professional  standing,  and  a  patriot  whose  services  to  Ireland  and  to 
liberty  everywhere  will  make  him  long  remembered.  His  opinions 
were  so  radical  that  he  was  twice  exiled  by  the  English  government, 
and  his  writings  were  burned  by  the  common  hangman.  He  repre- 
sented Dublin  in  Parliament  from  1761  till  his  death,  November 
4,  1 77 1.  He  established  the  "  Freeman's  Journal,"  which  has  ren- 
dered, and  still  renders,  yeoman's  service  to  the  cause  of  Irish 
liberty. 

His  personal  appearance  was  very  striking;  it  is  said  that  all 
visitors  to  Parliament  were  curious  to  know  his  name.  Dr.  Johnson 
wrote  of  him,  "  Let  the  man  thus  driven  into  exile  for  having  been 
the  friend  of  his  country,  be  received  in  every  place  as  a  confessor 
of  liberty."  There  is  a  statue  of  him  in  the  Dublin  City  Hall.  It 
must  ever  be  regretted  that  his  death,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight,  pre- 
vented him  from  seeing  the  triumph  of  the  struggle  in  whose  birth 
he  had  been  so  warmly  interested. 

Another  token  of  America's  bounty  to  Ireland  was  the  famine 
contribution  of  1847.  Of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars 
received  by  the  New  England  committee,  over  fifty  thousand  dollars 
was  the  gift  of  Boston ;  and  on  the  departure  of  the  expedition  bear- 
ing this  charity  to  the  wards  of  step-motherly  England,  it  was  rec- 
ollected that  Ireland  had  anticipated  the  idea  one  hundred  and 
seventy  years  before.  In  1677,  after  the  close  of  King  Philip's  War, 
the  Massachusetts  colonies  were  in  great  distress.  Out  of  a  popu- 
lation of  perhaps  twenty-five  thousand,  five  or  six  hundred,  fully 
one-tenth  of  her  fighting  men,  fell  in  battle  with  the  savages.  Very 
opportunely  at  this  time  came  the  famous  "  Irish  donation,"  a  whole 

1  Charles  Lucas,  M.D.,  born  Sept.  16,  1713. 


80  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

shipload  of  provisions  from  some  friends  of  the  Boston  churches  in 
Dublin.  The  immediate  occasion  of  this  expedition  was  the  appeal 
of  Dr.  Increase  Mather  to  his  friends  in  Ireland ;  the  effectiveness  of 
the  appeal  being  probably  due,  at  least  in  part,  to  the  active  sym- 
pathy of  Nathaniel  Mather,  who  was  then  in  London,  for  the  home 
of  his  family  and  the  scene  of  his  earliest  labors. 

The  supplies  came  in  "  the  good  ship  called  the  Katherine  of 
Dublin,"  consigned  to  William  Ting,  James  Oliver,  and  John  Hull, 
who  were  authorized  to  sell  enough  of  the  cargo  to  pay  the  freight, 
amounting  to  four  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  and  then  to  distribute 
the  remainder  to  the  poor.  The  directions  as  to  this  distribution 
furnish  a  touching  commentary  on  the  religious  intolerance  of  the 
Massachusetts  people :  — 

Wee  desire  that  an  equall  respect  bee  had  to  all  godly  psons  agreeing  in 
fundamentals  .  .  .  though  differing  about  the  subject  of  some  ordinances,  & 
pticularly  that  godly  Anti-peodobaptists  bee  not  excluded  :  wch  wee  the  rather  thus 
perticularly  insert  because  sundry  reports  have  come  hither  suggesting  that  godly 
psons  of  that  pswasion  have  been  severely  dealt  withall  in  New  England  &  also 
because  divers  of  that  pswasion  in  this  Citty  have  freely  &  very  Considerably  con- 
curred in  advancing  this  releife. 

That  if  any  of  ye  Indians  in  New  England  who  have  adhered  to  the  English 
in  the  present  Warr  bee  bro't  to  distress  by  their  barbrous  Countrymen  they  bee  by 
no  means  forgotten,  .  .  .  Especially  that  those  of  them  that  are  of  the  house- 
hold of  faith     .     .     .     may  be  singularly  regarded. 

The  proportion  of  this  town  was  fifteen  pounds  six  shillings, 
distributed  among  twenty-nine  families,  comprising  one  hundred  and 
two  persons.  The  distribution  was  made  in  March,  1677,  and  went 
to  show  that  Boston  had  suffered  nearly  five  times  as  much  by  the 
war  as  any  other  place ;  but  we  must  note  that  the  Boston  troops 
were  not  in  any  one  of  the  great  massacres,  and  that  the  presence 
of  many  of  the  distressed  in  Boston  must  be  due  to  its  being  resorted 
to  as  an  asylum  by  the  hardy  settlers  whose  homes  had  been  scattered 
here  and  there  in  the  unprotected  country. 

In  an  account  of  this  occurrence  Mr.  Charles  Deane  gives  us  a 
little   foot-note,  saying,  "  Respecting  this  Irish  charity,  we  must  not 


THE    KNOW-NOTHING    MOVEMENT.  81 

indulge  in  the  pleasing  reflection  that  our  fathers  were  indebted  for 
its  bestowment  to  the  warm  sympathies  and  generous  impulses  of  the 
Irish  Catholic.  I  intend  nothing  by  the  remark,  but  to  make  a  state- 
ment of  the  fact." 

This  statement  is  undoubtedly  true ;  because  under  the  rule  of 
Charles  I.,  the  Catholics  were  deprived  of  their  property  with  a  view 
to  winning  them  into  the  Established  Church,  and  under  Parliament's 
rule  they  were  banished  in  shiploads.  When  the  king  "  got  his  own 
again,"  the  change  of  masters  gave  no  relief,  and  the  .Irish  Catholics, 
who  had  fought  not  for  their  religion,1  but  for  their  property,  for 
their  means  of  living,  and  for  the  homes  of  their  ancestors,  were  left 
with  little  to  live  on,  far  less  to  give  away.  It  seems  hardly  neces- 
sary for  a  man  learned  in  the  history  of  the  world  to  say  that  the 
"  Irish  charity "  must  have  come  from  those  who  alone  had  the 
means  to  be  generous.  Yet  if  it  were  not  for  the  possessions  that 
Irish  Catholics  once  had,  and  had  with  little  grace  yielded,  the  warm 
heart  of  the  Irish  Protestant  would  have  had  to  give  from  his  own 
hard  earnings,  if  he  gave  at  all. 

1  Clogy,  "Life  of  Bedell,"  quoted  in  Lecky's  "England  in  the  XVIIIth  Century,"  p.  185. 


82  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


THE    IRISH    SOLDIER. 


IRISH  valor,  Irish  decision,  Irish  perseverance,  have  filled  the 
pages  of  American  history  with  a  story  which  has  an  intense 
interest  for  the  people  of  Irish  blood  in  the  United  States.  From 
the  early  period,  when  the  yoke  of  unjust  taxation  became  unbearable, 
down  to  the  casting  aside  of  that  other  yoke,  of  unbearable  human 
servitude,  Irish  thought  as  well  as  Irish  heroes  have  come  forth  to 
take  their  places  in  the  annals  of  this  great  nation.  There  are 
individual  incidents  when  credit  is  accorded  a  brave  man  of  French, 
Danish,  or  other  foreign  extraction,  but  none  seem  to  have  so  firmly 
fixed  themselves  in  a  rightful  demand  for  due  credit  in  making  and 
sustaining  this  republic  as  the  Americans  of  Irish  blood.  To  obtain 
this  place,  too,  they  had  to  overcome  religious,  social,  and  commercial 
obstructions  raised  by  the  very  men  by  whose  side  they  have  stood 
now  for  over  a  century.  They  backed  Col.  James  Barrett  at  Concord 
Bridge,  and  joined  in  that  shot  that  awakened  the  world.  They  saw 
the  great  war-ships  of  a  great  nation  humbled  by  Commodore  Barry 
on  Lake  Erie.  They  helped  to  hunt  Mexico,  and  were  in  at  the 
death.  They  flocked  by  thousands  to  Lincoln's  call  in  the  sixties, 
fought  to  end  the  war,  and  have  since  fought  in  politics  to  bury  the 
sectional  strife  engendered  by  it.  The  renown  of  their  deeds  is  left 
to  their  descendants  to  record  and  boast  of.  There  is  no  apology  to 
make,  no  shame  to  veil.  Properly  to  digest  their  military  history 
alone,  would  require  years  of  patient  labor.  The  purpose  of  this 
chapter  is  to  briefly  present  that  part  of  it  which  relates  to  Boston. 
It  has  not  been  an  easy  task.  The  writers  of  the  Irish-American 
people  have  left  very  imperfect  records  where  they  have  left  any, 
and  the  other  historians  have  not  cared,  seemingly,  to  note  the 
nationality  of  the  people  of  whom  they  wrote. 


THE   IRISH  SOIDIER.  83 


I.  —  Concord  and  Lexington. 

They  came  into  the  full  light  of  colonial  history  at  Lexington 
and  Concord.  The  cry  of  Paul  Revere  roused  them  to  take  their 
share  in  the  defence  of  the  common  cause.  They  responded 
promptly.  Among  them  was  Hugh  Cargill,  the  Ballyshannon  man, 
formerly  belonging  to  Boston,  but  now  of  Concord.  To  his  prompt 
response  Concord  owed  the  safety  of  her  records.  Among  them 
also  was  Col.  James  Barrett,  who  was  the  commander  of  the  minute- 
men  of  the  town.  Hardly  had  he  left  his  bed  when  he  heard  of  the 
murderous  work  of  the  regulars  at  Lexington.  He  removed,  as  was 
his  first  duty,  a  part  of  the  colonial  stores  which  had  been  hidden  in 
his  town,  and  then,  with  his  command,  fought  the  intruders  at  the 
North  Bridge.  The  news  of  the  dire  work  spread ;  the  minute-men 
gathered.  No  more  beautiful  picture  of  united  patriotism  adorns 
history.  They  left  their  wives  and  children,  their  workshops  and 
farms,  to  gather  for  the  fight.  They  came  in  scattered  groups, 
dressed  as  they  happened  to  be  when  the  tidings  of  the  fight  came 
to  them,  only  stopping  long  enough  to  snatch  up  their  flintlocks, 
examine  the  priming,  belt  on  the  powder-horn  and  bullet-pouch. 
All  the  roads  centring  towards  the  main  one  along  which  the 
English  must  retreat  presented  these  groups.  At  every  cross-road 
their  numbers  increased.  In  the  hurrying  knots  of  men  were 
citizens  of  all  the  surrounding  towns,  who  had  been  gathering  since 
four  o'clock  that  morning.  Some  were  led  by  their  preachers,  others 
by  chosen  captains,  while  still  others  went  into  the  fray  without  a 
leader.  Young  and  old  cheered  one  another  on  for  the  conflict. 
Along  the  line  of  their  march,  patriotic  mothers,  wives,  sweet- 
hearts, and  daughters  bade  them  "God-speed."  "Impossible  to 
have  conquered  such  a  people "  was  the  comment  of  a  great 
British  statesman.  "  The  only  way  for  Great  Britain  to  regain 
her  hold  would  have  been  to  exterminate  them,  men  and  women 
alike." 

When  they  reached    the  main  road    their   first   question  was : 


84  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

Have  the  red-coats  passed?     Where  are  they?     Then  the  hurrying 
to  give  them  battle. 

"You  know  the  rest.     In  the  books  you  have  read 
How  the  British  regulars  fired  and  fled,  — 
How  the  farmers  gave  them  ball  for  ball 
From  behind  each  fence  and  farmyard  wall, 
Chasing  the  red-coats  down  the  lane, 
Then  crossing  the  fields  to  emerge  again 
Under  the  trees  at  the  turn  of  the  road, 
And  only  pausing  to  fire  and  load." 

They  awoke  the  English  to  a  true  realization  of  the  manhood 
of  the  new  country.  They  were  compelled  to  fly  before  the  very 
men  whom  they  had  taunted  with  cowardice.  The  "  battle  of  the 
minute-men  "  is  without  a  parallel  in  history.  Only  another  hour's 
delay,  and  the  whole  command  that  had  gone  forth  in  such  martial 
splendor  would  have  been  compelled  to  lay  down  their  arms  to  the 
unorganized,  undisciplined  farmer.  The  Yankees  were  marksmen. 
Every  crack  of  their  old  flintlocks  meant  one  red-coat  less.  They 
fired  from  behind  the  walls ;  they  chased  the  British  till  the  reen- 
forcing  column  received  them  into  their  midst;  and  the  fugitives, 
their  limbs  powerless  and  their  tongues  hanging  out  with  utter 
distress,  dropped  on  the  road  from  exhaustion. 

To  trace  many  of  these  marksmen  back  to  the  "  old  sod  "  would 
be  an  impossibility;  but  the  list  presented  below,  of  Irish-American 
minute-men,  is  as  complete  and  accurate  as  careful  investigation  and 
inquiry  can  make  it.  Names  of  an  undoubted  Irish  origin  are  taken 
as  substantial  evidence  of  the  nationality  of  the  bearers  themselves, 
or  of  their  ancestors.  Many  others  there  were,  of  Irish  birth  or  blood, 
whose  identification  is  lost  by  intermarriage  and  the  carelessness  of 
historians.  Of  Col.  James  Barrett,  who  commanded  at  Concord,  it 
is  said  that  he  was  an  Irish-American. 

Hugh  Cargill,  to  whom  reference  is  made  above,  was  a  liquor 
dealer  on  Cambridge  street,  which  at  that  time  began  at  Sudbury 
street,  and  reached  the  edge  of  the  water  at  about  the  line  of  West 
Cedar  street.     He  was  a  member  of  Engine  Company  No.  6.     He 


THE    IRISH   SOIDIER.  85 

moved  to  Concord  before  1796,  and  died  there  in  1799.  He 
bequeathed  to  the  town  of  Concord  the  Stratton  Farm,  valued  in 
1800  at  $1,300,  to  be  improved  as  a  poor-house  —  for  which  pur- 
pose it  is  still  used.  He  also  gave  several  other  parcels  of  real  estate, 
valued  at  $3,720,  the  income  of  which  is  solely  to  be  applied  for  the 
benefit  of  the  poor.  At  the  time  of  the  Concord  fight,  Cargill  was 
on  hand,  and  assisted  in  removing  the  Concord  town-records  to  a 
place  of  safety.  He  served  at  Bunker  Hill  as  sergeant  in  Alisha 
Brown's  company,  in  the  regiment  of  Colonel  Nixon.  His  tomb 
is  marked  by  a  plain  slab :  at  the  top  is  carved  an  urn,  bearing  his 
initials  ;   below  is  this  epitaph :  — 

Here  lies  interred  the  remains  of  Hugh  Cargill,  late  of  Boston,  who  died  in 
Concord,  January  12,  1799,  in  the  sixtieth  year  of  his  age.  Mr.  Cargill  was  born  in 
Ballyshannon,  in  Ireland;  came  to  this  country  in  the  year  1774,  destitute  of  the 
comforts  of  life ;  but  by  his  industry  and  good  economy,  he  acquired  a  good 
estate ;  [demised]  to  his  wife,  Rebecca  Cargill ;  likewise  a  large  and  generous 
donation  to  the  town  of  Concord  for  benevolent  purposes. 

How  strange,  O  God,  that  reigns  on  high, 

That  I  should  come  so  far  to  die  ! 

And  leave  my  friends,  where  I  was  bred, 

To  lay  my  bones  with  strangers  dead  ! 

But  I  have  hopes,  when  I  arise, 

To  dwell  with  them  in  yonder  skies.1 

Another  prominent  name  in  the  accounts  of  Concord  and  Lex- 
ington is  Dr.  Thomas  Welsh,  who  was  army  surgeon  to  the  patriots. 
He  it  was  who  met  brave  Dr.  Joseph  Warren,  the  hero  of  Bunker 
Hill,  as  he  rode  through  Charlestown,  at  about  ten  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  that  memorable  April  day.  The  news  of  the  firing  had 
been  brought  to  Dr.  Warren  by  messenger,  and  he  informed  Dr. 
Welsh  that  the  reports  of  the  murderous  work  of  the  regulars 
were  true. 

"Well,"  said  Dr.  Welsh,  "they  are  gone  out." 

"Yes,"  replied  Dr.  Warren,  "  and  we'll  be  up  with  them  before 
night."     How  true  this  prophecy  was  history  tells. 

'Thomas  D'Arcy  McGee  :  Hist,  of  the  Irish  Settlers  in  America,  p.  34. 


86 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


Dr.  Welsh  was  born  at  Charlestown,  June  I,  1754.  He  married 
Mary  Kent  of  that  town.  He  performed  great  service  for  his  coun- 
trymen in  attending  to  the  dying  and  the  wounded  at  Lexington  and 
Bunker  Hill.  He  was  at  Winter  Hill,  by  which  the  troops  that  went 
to  Cambridge  retreated.  He,  with  Samuel  Blodgett,  assisted  in 
arresting  the  retreat  of  the  New  Hampshire  troops  flying  from  the  re- 
doubt on  Bunker  Hill.  He  was  surgeon  at  Castle  Island  in  1799, 
hospital  physician  at  Rainsford's  for  many  years,  a  member  of  the 
Boston  Board  of  Health,  vice-president  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical 
Society  in  18 14,  and  a  member  of  the  American  Academy  of  Arts 
and  Sciences.  He  died  at  Boston  in  February,  1831.  He  was  the 
last  of  the  orators  on  the  "  horred  massacre"  of  1770.  The  oration 
was  delivered  in  the  Old  Brick  Church  on  Chauncey  place,  off  Summer 
street,  March  5,  1783,  the  year  peace  was  declared  and  the  colonies 
were  united  in  a  growing  republic.     In  his  peroration  he  said :  — > 

At  length  independence  is  ours.  The  halcyon  day  appears.  Lo !  from  the 
east  I  see  the  harbinger,  and  from  the  train  'tis  Peace  herself,  and,  as  attendants, 
all  the  gentle  arts  of  life.  Commerce  displays  her  snow-white  navies,  fraught  with 
the  wealth  of  kingdoms.  Plenty  from  her  copious  horn  pours  forth  her  richest 
gifts.  Heaven  commands  !  The  east  and  the  west  give  up,  and  the  north  keeps 
not  back.  All  nations  meet  and  beat  their  swords  into  ploughshares  and  their 
spears  into  pruning-hooks,  and  resolve  to  learn  war  no  more.  Henceforth  shall  the 
American  wilderness  blossom  as  the  rose,  and  every  man  shall  sit  under  his  fig-tree, 
and  none  shall  make  him  afraid. 

Below  is  given  a  list  of  Irish  names  from  the  rolls  of  the  Lex- 
ington minute-men :  — 


Daniel  Bagley, 
John  Barrett, 
John  Boyd, 
Daniel  Bradlee, 
John  Bradlee, 
William  Bradley, 
Edward  Breck, 
Joseph  Burke, 
Richard  Burke, 


Wait  Burke, 
Daniel  Carey, 
Joseph  Carey, 
Peter  Carey, 
William  Carey, 
Silas  Carty, 
John  Carrell, 
Patrick  Carrell, 
Jonathan  Carroll, 


Joseph  Carroll, 
Cornelius  Cochran, 
William  Cochran, 
Henry  Cogen, 
John  Collins, 
Jeremiah  Collins, 
Mark  Collins, 
Nathaniel  Collins, 
Samuel  Collins, 


THE  IRISH   SOLDIER. 


87 


Daniel  Connors, 
William  Connors, 
John  Crehore, 
Timothy  Crehore, 
William  Crehore, 
James  Dempsey, 
Philip  Donehue, 
Benjamin  Donnell, 
James  Donnell, 
Joseph  Donnell, 
John  Donnelly, 
John  Downing, 
Andrew  Duningan, 
John  Fadden, 
Thomas  Fanning, 
William  Fanning, 
John  Farley, 
Michael  Farley, 
John  Fay, 
Thomas  Fay, 
Timothy  Fay, 
William  Fay, 
John  Fife, 
Robert  Fife, 
John  Flood, 
William  Flood, 
John  Foley, 
Mathew  Gilligen, 
Richard  Gilpatrick, 
James  Gleason, 
John  Gleason, 
Thomas  Gleason, 
John  Golden, 
Joseph  Golden, 
James  Gooly, 
John  Grace, 
Daniel  Griffin, 
Joseph  Griffin, 
John  Hacket, 
Joseph  Hacket, 


Richard  Hacket, 
Thomas  Hacket, 
William  Hacket, 
Joel  Hogan, 
John  Haley, 
Thomas  Haley, 
William  Haley, 
John  Healy, 
John  Holland, 
John  Hugh, 
David  Kelly, 
George  Kelly, 
John  Kelly, 
Patrick  Kelly, 
Peter  Kelly , 
Richard  Kelly, 
Samuel  Kelly, 
Stephen  Kelly, 
David  Kenny, 
James  Kenny, 
John  Kenny, 
Nathaniel  Kenny, 
Thomas  Kenny, 
William  Kenny, 
Jeremiah  Kinney, 
Daniel  Lary, 
Samuel  Lauchlin, 
James  Logan, 
Joseph  McAnnell, 
Thomas  McBride, 
John  McCarty, 
Andrew  McCauseland, 
John  McCullin, 
Michael  McDonnell, 
James  McFadden, 
Ebenezer  McFarley, 
Thomas  McFarley, 
Henry  McGonegal, 
John  McGrah, 
Daniel  McGuire, 


John  Mack, 
Patrick  McKeen, 
James  McKenny, 
Joseph  McKenny, 
John  McLeary, 
David  McLeary, 
John  McMullen, 
Thomas  McMullen, 
John  Madden, 
Daniel  Mahon, 
James  Mall  one, 
John  Manning, 
Robert  Manning, 
Samuel  Manning, 
Thomas  Manning, 
Timothy  Manning, 
William  Manning, 
Benjamin  Maxy, 
James  Magoone, 
John  Mehoney, 
Daniel  Mullikin, 
Ebenezer  Mullikin, 
John  Murphy, 
Patrick  Newjent, 
Patrick  O'Brien, 
Richard  O'Brien, 
Daniel  Shay, 
John  Shea, 
Edward  Tappan, 
Michael  Tappan, 
John  Walsh, 
Joseph  Walsh, 
Benjamin  Welsh, 
Edward  Welsh, 
John  Welsh, 
Joseph  Welsh, 
Samuel  Welsh, 
Thomas  Welsh, 
Walter  Welsh, 
William  Welsh. 


88  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


II. — Bunker  Hill. 


War  alone  could  subdue  the  angry  passions  engendered  by  the 
fight  at  Lexington.  English  power  needed  more  humble  subjects, 
and  the  colonists  had  decided  not  only  to  avenge  their  injuries,  but 
to  fight  for  absolute  freedom.  The  expedition  to  Lexington  and 
Concord  was  the  last  the  English  soldiers  made  from  Boston  into  the 
interior  of  the  colony. 

The  commands  of  Colonel  Smith  and  Major  Pitcairn  finally 
eluded  destruction  at  the  hands  of  the  sharpshooters,  who  had  made 
their  return  to  camp  a  trail  of  blood.  They  were  destined  in  a  few 
months  to  be  compelled  to  move  again,  and  to  be  kept  moving  until 
they  finally  departed  from  the  country  forever.  Lexington  had 
cured  British  conceit.  Bunker  Hill  would  amaze  and  alarm  them. 
Farmers  whom  recklessness  had  driven  into  revolt  acquired  the  art 
and  science  of  war  as  if  by  intuition ;  and  the  fearlessness,  stability, 
and  discipline  of  veterans  came  to  them  as  the  need  for  it  grew. 
They  proclaimed  rebellion,  and  cooped  the  ruling  power  of  the  whole 
colony  within  the  narrow  confines  of  the  city.  The  patriots  hovered 
about,  zealous  to  drive  them  into  the  sea.  They  taunted  General 
Gage.  They  harassed  him  by  small  raids  and  seizures  of  supplies. 
They  knew  that  he  had  been  reenforced  by  Howe,  Burgoyne,  and 
Clinton,  and  by  thousands  of  recruits.  They  were  not  terrified  by 
the  odds  against  them.  They  waited  a  month  for  the  great  generals 
to  come  out  and  crush  them,  and  then,  evidently  tired  of  waiting, 
they  started  in  to  crush  the  great  generals. 

When  the  sun  rose  on  the  morning  of  June  iy,  1775,  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  town  of  Boston  saw  a  wonderful  sight.  There  were 
breastworks  on  the  top  of  "  Breed's  Hill,"  1  manned  by  New  England 
yeomen.  It  was  a  challenge  to  battle  which  could  not  be  disre- 
garded. The  English  did  succeed  in  driving  the  brave  fellows  from 
their  works,  but  that  victory  only  lent  new  lustre  to  the  American  arms. 
The  soldiers  who  had  planted  St.  George's  cross  on  many  heights  in 

1  Historically  known  as  Bunker  Hill. 


THE  IRISH   SOLDIER.  89 

the  face  of  a  desperate  foe,  who  had  made  it  respected  the  world 
over,  found  behind  those  humble  breastworks  an  untrained  militia 
that  had  the  grit  to  withstand  their  best  generals,  and  that  hurled 
them  back  again  and  again.  The  fight  of  Bunker  Hill  made  the 
reputation  of  the  Continental  troops,  and  inspired  a  confidence  that 
never  forsook  them. 

There  were  many  on  that  famous  height  who  had  their  first 
opportunity  then  to  strike  a  blow  for  liberty,  and  another  in  revenge 
for  the  dreadful  oppression  of  their  forefathers  in  Ireland.  The  first 
spadeful  of  earth  on  Breed's  Hill  was  turned  just  before  midnight 
on  the  night  of  the  16th  of  June,  1775.  There  were  one  thousand 
men  at  the  work,  under  command  of  Col.  William  Prescott,  of 
Pepperell,  Mass.  They  worked  all  through  the  night  under  the  veil 
of  darkness.  When  the  sun  lit  up  their  works  to  the  astonished 
British  on  the  morning  of  June  17,  they  greeted  the  sight  with  a 
fierce  cannonade  from  the  war-ship  "  Lively,"  which  was  anchored 
off  what  is  now  the  Navy  Yard.  Tired  and  hungry,  the  patriots 
worked  on,  exposed  to  that  fire,  awaiting  reinforcements  calmly, 
determined  to  defend  those  works  with  the  last  drop  of  blood. 

Through  General  Ward's  doubt  of  what  the  English  generals 
would  do,  he  delayed  sending  reinforcements  to  Breed's  Hill.  He 
feared  to  weaken  his  force  in  Cambridge,  for  the  English  might 
make  that  the  point  of  attack  rather  than  the  breastwork  on  the  hill. 
This  doubt  could  not  restrain  the  brave  men  of  his  army.  They  saw 
their  countrymen  under  the  fire  of  the  English  war-ships,  and  groups 
of  them,  all  the  morning  long,  crossed  the  neck,  and  entered  the 
redoubt.  They  sought  only  a  place  in  the  fight,  without  regard  to 
the  commands  in  which  they  served.  Such  were  Generals  Warren 
and  Pomeroy.  When  General  Ward  became  satisfied  that  the 
English  would  undertake  to  dislodge  the  patriots,  reinforcements 
were  immediately  ordered  over.  They  came  across  the  neck,  which 
was  made  a  perfect  death-hole  by  the  concentrated  fire  of  the 
English  guns. 

Among  them  was  the  regiment  of  Col.  John  Stark,  an  Irish- 
American,  whose  bravery  and  devotion  had  put  him  at  the  head  of 


90  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

his  New  Hampshire  troops,  and  afterwards  made  him  one  of  the 
most  famous  commanders  of  the  Revolution.  His  career  in  the 
cause  of  liberty  is  full  of  that  dash  and  spirit  which  crowds  the  rec- 
ord of  the  late  General  Sheridan.  Mr.  Bagenal,  in  a  book  on  the 
American  Irish,  published  a  few  years  ago  in  New  York,  says  of 
Colonel  Stark  :  "  He  was  the  son  of  an  Irish  farmer  of  New 
Hampshire.  He  inherited  a  good  fund  of  mother-wit,  and  a  brogue 
as  mellifluous  as  if  he  was  born  and  reared  on  the  banks  of  the 
Inchigeelah,  in  the  County  Cork."  A  number  of  the  men  in  his 
regiment  came  from  Londonderry  and  Derryfield  (now  Manchester), 
both  in  New  Hampshire,  and  both  settled  by  emigrants  from  Ireland. 
He  had  the  love,  not  of  his  own  troops  only,  but  of  the  whole  army. 
He  was  hardy,  independent,  and  brave,  —  a  fit  associate  for  the 
fearless  Putnam,  the  energetic  Pomeroy,  and  the  veterans  Prescott 
and  Ward. 

The  character  of  Colonel  Stark  may  be  shown  by  an  incident  at 
the  crossing  of  the  neck.  From  one  till  half-past  three  o'clock  on 
that  bloody  afternoon,  the  Americans  continued  to  cross.  They 
were  enfiladed  by  a  galling  fire  from  the  ships  and  batteries.  When 
Colonel  Stark  arrived,  about  two  o'clock,  it  seemed  a  perfect  hell  of 
hissing  shot  and  fire.  Captain  Dearborn,  who  was  by  his  side, 
suggested  to  him  the  expediency  of  quickening  his  steps  across;  but 
Stark  replied,  "  One  fresh  man  in  action  is  worth  ten  fatigued  ones," 
and,  with  the  same  deliberation,  he  continued  his  march.  When  he 
arrived  at  the  fortifications,  the  English  troops  had  already  landed 
on  the  beach.  He  made  one  of  his  fiery  addresses  to  his  men, 
pointed  out  their  red-coated  foes,  and  then  led  them  to  the  rail-fence. 
This  fence  had  just  previously  been  manned  by  Captain  Knowlton, 
by  orders  of  Colonel  Prescott,  to  prevent  the  English  from  flanking 
the  Americans.  It  was  near  the  base  of  Bunker  Hill,  six  hundred 
feet  in  the  rear  of  the  redoubt ;  one-half  of  it  was  stone,  with  two 
rails  of  wood.  A  little  distance  in  front  of  this  rail  was  another 
parallel  line  of  fence,  and  the  space  between  the  fences  was  filled 
with  newly  cut  grass.  There  Stark  and  his  brave  Paddies  fought  for 
hours.     It  was  a  strategic  point,  and  General  Howe,  in  person,  led 


THE   IRISH  SOLDIER.  91 

the  attack  upon  it.  The  English  generals  and  soldiers  underrated 
their  opponents.  That  they  would  drive  them  from  the  redoubt  was 
never  questioned.  They  had  only  to  move,  and  the  Yankees  would 
run.  It  was  a  trying  time  for  the  brave  bands  of  men  who  were 
waiting  for  the  attack,  ignorant  yet  of  the  power  of  their  own  stern 
purpose.  Charlestown  was  blazing ;  shots  from  ships  and  batteries 
were  hissing  around  them ;  many  had  never  been  in  battle  before ; 
very  many  had  worked  all  night  long,  and  were  almost  ready  to  sink 
to  the  ground  with  exhaustion.  Twice  they  hurled  back  from  their 
defences  the  flower  of  the  English  army,  and  when  they  did  retire, 
it  was  when  their  powder  had  given  out,  and  they  were  overwhelmed 
by  the  superior  force  of  their  foes. 

At  the  rail-fence  they  successfully  resisted  every  attempt  to 
turn  their  flank.  Stark's  men,  like  most  of  the  other  patriots,  were 
marksmen.  They  used  the  rails  of  the  fence  to  rest  their  flintlocks. 
They  were  intent  on  cutting  down  the  British  officers.  When  one 
was  in  sight, — that  is,  when  they  "  could  see  the  white  of  his  eye," 
—  they  exclaimed,  "  There,  see  that  officer !  Let's  have  a  shot  at 
him  !  "  and  two  or  three  would  fire  at  the  same  moment.  They  cut. 
up  .the  companies  with  terrible  severity,  and  so  great  was  the  car- 
nage that  the  English  columns,  a  few  moments  before  so  proud  and! 
firm,  were  disconcerted  and  broken  to  pieces.  Colonel  Stark  was 
everywhere  among  his  men ;  he  led  their  cheers  when  their  foes  fell 
back,  and  was  among  the  last  to  leave  the  works.  Near  him  was  a 
company  of  Charlestown  volunteers,  a  portion  of  Colonel  Gardner's 
regiment  from  Middlesex,  under  Capt.  Joseph  Harris.  Their  hearts 
were  filled  with  a  wilder  hate,  for  they  could  see  their  homes  blazing, 
and  they  thought  of  the  dear  ones  left  behind.  They  fought  fiercely, 
never  for  a  moment  thinking  of  giving  ground.  Colonel  Swett  says 
of  this  company,  "  They  were  fighting  at  their  own  doors,  on  their 
own  natal  soil.  They  stood  like  the  Greeks  of  Thermopylae,  and 
they  kept  the  pass  till  the  enemy  had  discovered  another." 

One  of  the  bravest  men  of  Colonel  Stark's  command  was  his 
major,  Andrew  McClary,  an  Irishman,  nearly  six  and  one-half  feet 
in  height,  and  of  athletic   frame.      During  the   action   he,  like  his 


92 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


colonel,  fought  among  his  men  with  great  bravery.  After  the  action 
he  rode  to  Medford  to  procure  bandages  for  the  wounded,  and  on 
his  return  went  with  a  few  of  his  comrades  to  reconnoitre  the  British, 
then  on  Bunker  Hill.  As  he  was  on  his  way  to  rejoin  his  men,  a 
shot  from  a  frigate  lying  where  Craigie's  Bridge  now  is,  passed  through 
his  body.  He  leaped  a  few  feet  from  the  ground,  pitched  forward, 
and  fell  on  his  face  dead. 

In  1 78 1  a  poem  on  the  battle  was  published,  bearing  the  signa- 
ture of  John  Boyle,  the  well-known  bookseller  of  Boston.  His  Irish 
name  adds  significance  to  his  words.     The  following  is  an  extract: — 

"  Again  the  conflict  glows  with  rage  severe, 
And  fearless  ranks  in  Combat  mixt  appear. 
Victory  uncertain  !  fierce  contention  reigns, 
And  purple  rivers  drench  the  slippery  plains. 
Column  to  column,  host  to  host  oppose, 
And  rush  impetuous  on  their  adverse  foes. 
When,  lo  !  the  hero  Warren  from  afar 
Sought  for  the  battle  and  the  field  of  war." 

Many  other  Irish  names  shared  the  renown  of  this  combat. 
Laurence  Sullivan  and  John  Dillon  were  among  the  dead  upon  the 
field ;   Daniel  McGrath  was  taken  prisoner,  and  died  in  captivity. 

The  following  names  are  found  among  those  on  the  rolls  of 
Bunker  Hill,  as  given  in  the  Massachusetts  Archives :  — 


) 


2d- Lieut.  Chas.  Dougherty, 
Capt.  Samuel  Dunn, 
Col.  John  Patterson, 
Ebenezer  Sullivan, 
Lieut.  Joseph  Welsh, 
John  Burk, 
John  Barry, 
Joseph  Barry, 
Wait  Burk, 
Tilly  Burk, 


Richard  Burk, 
Michael  Berry, 
William  Burk, 
Josiah  Burk, 
Edward  Burk, 
Thomas  Burn, 
John  Bogan, 
William  Bogan, 
James  Barry, 
Joseph  Burne, 


John  Bryan, 
Arthur  Collamore, 
Samuel  Carr, 
John  Collins, 
Edward  Connor, 
David  Collins, 
Peter  Collins, 
Daniel  Collins, 
Sergt.  Hugh  Cargill, 
Col.  John  Nixon, 


THE   IRISH   SOLDIER. 


93 


William  Conner, 
John  Cronyn, 
John  Connor, 
David  Connor, 
Isaac  Collins, 
Stephen  Collins, 
Aaron  Carey, 
Demerel  Collins, 
John  Coy, 

Lieut.  Daniel  Collins, 
Daniel  Callahan, 
Joseph  Cavenaugh, 
Robert  Callaghan, 
Lemuel  Collins, 
Josiah  Cummings, 
Charles  Casity, 
Ambrose  Collins, 
David  Coye, 
Richard  Collins, 
Henry  Collins, 
John  Cummings, 
James  Conner, 
John  Collins, 
Arthur  Carey, 
Ambrose  Craggin, 
Joshua  Carey, 
Josiah  Carey, 
Edward  Casey, 
Jesse  Cary, 
Michael  Clary, 
Jeremiah  Cady, 
Jeremiah  Collins, 
Ebenezer  Craggen, 
Samuel  Craggen, 
John  Coner, 
Daniel  Carmical, 
John  Carrel, 
Caleb  Comings, 
John  Calahan, 
Solomon  Collins, 
Edward  Conner, 
Luther  Carey, 


Daniel  Collins, 
William  Carrall, 
James  Carrall, 
Caleb  Carey, 
William  Casey, 
Laurence  Carrol, 
John  Connelly, 
Daniel  Collins, 
Timothy  Carny, 
Patrick  Connelly, 
Francis  Crowley, 
John  Cummings, 
Charles  Doroughty, 
John  Dougarty, 
Elijah  Doyle, 
William  Dougherty, 
Thomas  Dougherty, 
Lieut.  Charles  Dougherty, 
William  Dun, 
William  Dunn, 
John  Dougherty, 
John  Dun, 
James  Dunn, 
James  Donnell, 
Jotham  Donnel, 
Thomas  Doyl, 
Patrick  Doyle, 
Edwark  Finiken, 
John  Flyn, 
John  Foye, 
Thomas  Finn, 
Edward  Fogerty, 
David  Fling, 
James  Fitzgerald, 
John  Foy, 
Jacob  Flyn, 
John  Fitchjeril, 
Kendel  Farley, 
Thomas  Gleason, 
Daniel  Griffin, 
Joseph  Griffin, 
Nathaniel  Griffin, 


Mathew  Gilligan, 
John  Gleason, 
William  Gilman, 
William  Gilmore, 
Joseph  Griffin, 
Richard  Gilpatrick, 
Joshua  Gilpatrick, 
James  Gilpatrick, 
John  Gilmor, 
Joseph  Griffin, 
Joseph  Gleason, 
Daniel  Lomasney, 
William  Linnehan, 
Daniel  Leary, 
Capt.  Timothy  Carey, 
John  Laughton, 
Capt.  Michael  Gleason, 
Bartholomew  Lynch, 
James  Milliken, 
Joseph  Manning, 
Peter  Martin, 
Hugh  McCarthy, 
Capt.  Nathaniel  Healy, 
James  McGraw, 
William  M'Cleary, 
Richard  Murphy, 
Edward  Madden, 
Michael  McDonald, 
Daniel  Murphy, 
David  McCleary, 
James  McConner, 
Morris  M'Cleary, 
John  Manning, 
William  McClure, 
Robert  McCormick, 
John  McDonald, 
John  McLarty, 
Daniel  Moore, 
William  Murphy, 
Daniel  Maley, 
Hugh  Morrison, 
John  Meacham, 


94 


THE    IRISH   IN   BOSTON. 


John  McCartney, 
John  McCoy, 
Thomas  McLaughlin, 
Thomas  McCullough, 
George  McCleary, 
Robert  McCleary, 
Daniel  Maguire, 
John  Morrison, 
Israel  Murphy, 
Pierce  Murphy, 
Peter  McGee, 
Terrance  McMahon, 
James  McCormich, 
Daniel  McNamara, 
Thomas  Mahoney, 
William  Murphy, 
Daniel  Morrison, 
John  McDonald, 
Joseph  McDonnell, 
Joseph  McLallin, 
William  McKenney, 
James  Milliken, 
John  McCullough, 
John  McGrath, 
John  McGuire, 
John  Mitchell, 
James  M'Fadden, 
John  Madden, 
Michael  Minihan, 
Lawrence  McLaughlin, 
David  McElroy, 
William  McCleary, 
James  McCoy, 
Edward  Manning, 


James  McCullough, 
Daniel  McCarty, 
Peter  Martin, 
Patrick  Mahoney, 
Eben  Sullivan, 
John  Noonan, 
John  O'Conner, 
Dennis  O'Brien, 
Capt.  Jeremiah  Gilman, 
Bryant  Ryan, 
Cornelius  Ryan, 
John  Ryan, 
Thomas  Ryan, 
Martin  Rourke, 
Dennis  Ryan, 
Daniel  Rioden, 
John  Rogers, 
James  Ryan, 
John  Roach, 
Timothy  Roach, 
Capt.  Daniel  Gallusha, 
Capt.  John  Ford, 
James  Ryan, 
Thomas  Roach, 
James  Richey, 
Fred  Roach, 
John  Rannor, 
John  Rickey, 
Augustus  Ryan, 
Oliver  Sullivan, 
Patrick  Shea, 
Richard  Shea, 
Michael  Stewart, 
John  Shield, 


John  Savage, 
Jeremiah  Scanlan, 
John  Sullivan, 
Timothy  Sullivan, 
Robert  Steel, 
John  Shanahan, 
James  Shay, 
Patrick  Scandalin, 
Thomas  Savage, 
Ebenezer  Sullivan, 
Daniel  Shay, 
John  Shay, 
Patrick  Tracey, 
Thomas  Tobin, 
Mathew  Tobin, 
Mathias  Welch, 
Benjamin  Welch, 
John  Welch, 
William  Welsh, 
Peter  Welch, 
James  Welch, 
James  Wall, 
Jonas  Welch, 
Silas  Welch, 
John  Wolley, 
Joseph  Welch, 
Walter  Welch, 
Isaac  Welch, 
Richard  Welch, 
John  Welch, 
William  Welch, 
Edmund  Welch, 
Joseph  Welch, 
William  Welch. 


III.  —  The  Siege  of  Boston. 


After  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  the  Americans  settled  down  to 
drive  the  English  out  of  Boston.  The  town  was  surrounded  and 
placed  in  a  state  of  siege.     The  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  had  inspired 


THE    IRISH  SOLDIER.  95 

the  whole  country,  and  daily  reinforcements  came  from  the  other 
colonies  to  join  the  men  of  New  England.  Washington  came  from 
Virginia  and  made  an  army  out  of  what  had  been  merely  armed 
bands.  At  the  head  of  one  of  his  brigades,  in  which  was  Stark's 
regiment,  he  placed  Gen.  John  Sullivan. 

Many  of  the  settlements  along  the  South  Atlantic  coast  had  been 
made  by  emigrants  from  Ireland,  and  those  settlements  sent  forth 
their  men  as  patriotically  as  Puritan  New  England.  The  reports  of 
the  fight  of  that  June  day  had  not  ceased  to  travel  when  Daniel 
Morgan,  the  son  of  a  County  Derry  man,  marched  into  Cambridge 
at  the  head  of  five  hundred  sharpshooters.  These  men  were  dressed 
in  buckskin  uniforms,  and  their  unerring  aim  became  a  terror  to  the 
English. 

The  American  army  wanted  artillery  to  enforce  the  siege. 
Under  date  of  Dec.  17,  1775,  Washington  received  from  Col.  Henry 
Knox,  who  had  been  sent  on  a  mission  to  Ethan  Allen,  at  Crown 
Point,  Ticonderoga,  a  letter,  saying,  "  I  hope  in  sixteen  or  seventeen 
days  to  present  to  your  Excellency  a  noble  train  of  artillery,  the 
inventory  of  which  I  have  enclosed."  Colonel  Knox  kept  his  word. 
With  an  enterprise  and  perseverance  that  elicited  the  warmest  com- 
mendations, he  brought,  over  frozen  lakes  and  almost  impassable 
snows,  more  than  fifty  cannon,  mortars,  and  howitzers.  With  this 
train  Washington  was  enabled  to  strengthen  his  position,  and  to 
make  a  more  decisive  move  against  the  enemy.  Colonel  Knox 
was  of  a  family  that  originally  came  from  near  Belfast.  His  career 
was  a  brilliant  one.  He  commanded  the  artillery  corps,  and  the 
effective  work  of  his  guns  at  Trenton,  Princeton,  Germantown,  and 
Monmouth  made  him  distinguished  among  the  American  generals. 
He  was  born  in  Boston,  July  25,  1750.  His  wife  was  the  daughter 
of  a  British  official.  She  forsook  her  relatives,  however,  and  ac- 
companied him  in  his  flight,  concealing  on  her  person  the  sword 
which  he  used  at  Bunker  Hill.  Washington  made  him  a  major- 
general  after  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis.  From  1785  to  1794  he 
was  Secretary  of  War.     He  died  in  1806. 


96  THE   IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

Gen.  William   Sullivan   has  left  the   following  reminiscence  of 
our  dashing  artilleryman  :  — 

"  Generals  Knox,  Lincoln,  and  Jackson  had  been  companions  in 
the  Revolution,  —  had  laughed,  eaten  and  drunk,  fought  and  lived 
together,  and  were  on  the  most  intimate  terms.  They  loved  each 
other  to  a  degree  but  little  known  among  the  men  of  the  present 
day.  After  the  struggle  of  the  war  they  retired  to  their  homes,  and 
were  all  comfortable  in  their  worldly  circumstances,  if  not  rich;  but 
Knox  possessed  large  tracts  of  land  in  the  State  of  Maine,  upon  the 
rapid  sales  of  which  he  confidently  relied ;  imagined  himself  more 
wealthy  than  he  was ;  and  lived  in  luxurious  style.  He  built  himself 
a  superb  mansion  at  Thomaston,  Me.,  where  all  his  friends  met  with 
a  cordial  welcome  and  enjoyed  the  most  liberal  hospitality.  It  was 
not  an  unusual  thing  for  Knox  to  kill,  in  summer,  when  great  num- 
bers of  friends  visited  him,  an  ox  and  twenty  sheep  on  every 
Monday  morning,  and  to  make  up  one  hundred  beds  daily  in  his 
house.  He  kept  for  his  own  use  and  that  of  his  friends  twenty 
saddle-horses  and  several  carriages  in  his  stables.  This  expensive 
style  of  living  was  too  much  for  his  means,  as  he  was  disappointed 
in  the  sale  of  his  lands,  and  he  was  forced  to  borrow  sums  of  money 
on  the  credit  of  his  friends,  Generals  Lincoln  and  Jackson.  He  soon 
found  himself  involved  to  a  large  amount,  and  was  obliged  to  acquaint 
his  friends  of  the  embarrassments  into  which  he  had  unfortunately 
drawn  them.  Lincoln  was  at  that  time  Collector  of  the  port  of 
Boston,  and  occupied  a  house  in  State  street,  now  torn  down,  part 
of  which  he  used  for  the  Custom  House  and  part  he  occupied  as 
his  dwelling.  It  was  agreed  that  the  three  should  meet  there,  and  a 
full  exposition  of  Knox's  affairs  be  made  known.  I  was  applied  to 
as  counsel  on  the  occasion,  and  was  the  first  one  who  came  at  the 
time  appointed.  Jackson  soon  entered ;  after  him,  Knox ;  and 
almost  immediately  Lincoln  came  in.  They  seated  .themselves  in  a 
semicircle,  whilst  I  took  my  place  at  the  table  for  the  purpose  of 
drawing  up  the  necessary  papers  and  taking  the  notes  of  this  melan- 
choly disclosure.  These  men  had  often  met  before,  but  never  in  a 
moment  of  such  sorrow.     Both  Lincoln  and  Jackson  knew  and  felt 


THE    IRISH  SOLDIER.  97 

that  Knox,  the  kindest  heart  in  the  world,  had  unwittingly  involved 
them.  They  were  all  too  full  to  speak,  and  maintained  for  some 
minutes  a  sorrowful  silence.  At  last,  as  if  moved  by  the  same  im- 
pulse, they  raised  their  eyes.  Their  glances  met,  and  Knox  burst 
into  tears.  Soon,  however,  Lincoln  rose,  brushed  a  tear  from  his 
eye,  and  exclaimed,  '  Gentlemen,  this  will  never  do  !  We  come  hither 
to  transact  business ;  let  us  attend  to  it.'  This  aroused  the  others, 
and  Knox  made  a  full  disclosure  of  his  affairs.  Although  Lincoln 
and  Jackson  suffered  severe  losses,  it  never  disturbed  the  feelings  of 
friendship  and  intimacy  which  had  existed  between  these  generous- 
hearted  men."1  Such  thoughtless  extravagance  is  one  of  the  well- 
known  characteristics  of  our  race,  and  was  especially  noticeable  in 
Irish  society  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Extravagance  ran  riot,  and 
excess  in  hospitality  was  the  principal  virtue  of  the  host.  ''Nine 
gentlemen  in  ten  in  Ireland  are  impoverished  by  the  great  quantity 
of  claret  which,  from  mistaken  notions  of  hospitality  and  dignity, 
they  think  it  necessary  should  be  drunk  in  their  houses."  It  is 
natural  that  traces  of  this  tendency  should  occasionally  appear 
among  the  Irish   in  America. 

Another  distinguished  officer  of  those  gathered  about  Washing- 
ton during  the  siege  of  Boston  was  Stephen  Moylan,  colonel  of 
Moylan's  dragoons.  He  was  born  in  Cork,  and  was  the  brother  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  bishop  of  that  city.  From  the  American  camp 
in  January,  1776,  he  writes:  "Everything  thaws  here  except  old 
Put.  He  is  still  as  hard  as  ever  crying  out  for  powder — powder  — 
ye  gods,  give  us  powder  !  "  Moylan  street  at  the  Highlands  obscurely 
keeps  his  memory  among  us. 

General  Sullivan  was  the  son  of  John  Sullivan,  the  emigrant,  who 
settled  in  Maine  in  1730.  He  was  born  in  Berwick,  Me.,  in  1741  ; 
at  the  outset  of  the  war  he  at  once  rose  into  prominence.  The  fortifi- 
cations on  Ploughed  Hill,  upon  which  afterwards  the  Benedictine  con- 
vent stood,  that  was  burnt  in  1837,  were  his  work.  He  commanded 
with  distinction  at  Germantown  and  Brandywine,  finally  retiring  from 

'William  Sullivan's  "Public  Men  of  the  Revolution." 


98  THE   IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

the  army  on  account  of  disabilities.  Afterwards  he  was  a  member 
of  Congress,  and  was  made  a  judge  in  New  Hampshire.  He  died  in 
1795.  Sullivan,  Morgan,  Knox,  Stark,  and  Moylan  were  instant  in 
well-doing  during  the  entire  eight  months  of  the  siege,  until  Howe  with 
his  troops  and  his  toadies  was  driven  from  the  town.  The  evacuation 
occurred  on  St.  Patrick's  day,  1776.  Gen.  John  Sullivan  was  made 
officer  of  the  day,  and  it  is  said  that  the  countersign,  authorized  by 
Washington's  order,  was  "  St.  Patrick."  Thus,  on  the  most  eventful 
day  in  the  history  of  our  city  did  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
American  army  pay  a  graceful  compliment  to  the  Irish  people. 

We  hear  of  Irish  Tories  that  showed  their  heads  from  time  to 
time  during  the  siege.  Thus  "Draper's  Gazette,"  Sept.  21,  1775, 
had  the  following:  — 

Tuesday  a  snow  arrived  from  Cork  laden  with  Claret,  pork,  and  butter.  She 
brings  advices  of  great  armaments  fitting  out  in  England  which  may  be  expected 
here  in  the  course  of  next  month.  A  brigade  of  Irish  Roman  Catholics  is  forming 
in  Munster  and  Connaught  in  order  to  be  sent  to  Boston  to  act  against  the  rebels. 

Whether  the  editor  of  the  "  Gazette  "  had  positive  information 
when  he  wrote  as  above,  or  whether  his  intention  was  to  furnish  un- 
pleasant news  for  the  "  rebels  "  to  read,  has  never  been  ascertained. 
It  is  known,  however,  that  neither  the  great  armament  nor  the  Roman 
Catholic  brigade  ever  arrived  in  Boston.  In  fact,  the  English  gov- 
ernment found  the  greatest  difficulties  in  enlisting  Irishmen  to  fight 
against  the  Americans.  The  sympathies  of  the  Irish  people  were 
with  the  cause.  Arthur  Lee,  among  others,  vouches  for  this.  In 
a  letter  written  to   General  Washington  he  said :  — 

The  resources  of  the  country  —  that  is  to  say,  England — are  almost  annihilated 
in  Germany,  and  their  last  resource  is  to  the  Roman  Catholics  of  Ireland ;  and  they 
have  already  experienced  their  unwillingness  to  go,  every  man  of  a  regiment  raised 
there  last  year  having  obliged  them  to  ship  him  off  tied  and  bound.  And  most 
certainly  the  Irish  Catholics  will  desert  more  than  any  other   troops  whatever. 

Again,  we  are  told  that  General  Howe,  in  an  order  issued 
Dec.  7,  1775,  said:   "Some  Irish  merchants  residing  in  town,  with 


THE   IRISH  SOLDIER.  99 

their  adherents,  having  offered  their  services  for  the  defence  of 
the  place,  they  have  armed  and  formed  into  a  company  called  the 
Loyal  Irish  Volunteers,  and  distinguished  by  a  white  cockade." 
James  Forrest  was  appointed  captain  of  this  company,  and  the  duty 
of  its  members  was  to  mount  guard  every  evening.  Forrest  was  a 
member  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society,  and  in  1772  and  1773  he 
was  "  keeper  of  the  silver  key." 

Among  the  most  notorious  characters  of  the  time  was  an 
Irishman  by  the  name  of  Crean  Brush.  He  was  a  scoundrel, 
apparently  without  a  single  redeeming  quality.  His  career,  as 
found  in  history,  is  the  career  of  a  thief  and  most  mercenary  vil- 
lain. He  seemed  to  have  great  influence  with  the  rulers  of  the 
town  of  Boston.  They  invested  him  with  extraordinary  power,  and 
winked  at  his  crimes.  He  was  a  terror  to  both  loyalists  and  patriots, 
and  his  thievings  amounted  to  thousands  of  dollars.  He  may  be 
traced  in  Dr.  O'Callaghan's  Documentary  History  of  New  York.  He 
was  born  in  Dublin,  trained  to  the  law,  and  admitted  to  practice  in 
New  York,  where  he  held  office  under  the  Provincial  Secretary.  He 
appears  as  a  violent  actor  in  the  controversies  and  hostilities  between 
the  authorities  of  New  York  and  the  settlers  in  the  so-called 
"Hampshire  grants"  (now  Vermont),  who  held  titles  from  the 
Governor  of  New  Hampshire  that  were  disputed  by  New  York.  In 
those  controversies  the  famous  Ethan  Allen  appears  conspicuously 
as  one  of  the  settlers.  His  wife  was  a  step-daughter  of  Crean  Brush. 
The  exciting  events  in  Boston  had  an  attraction  for  the  adventurous 
spirit  of  Brush,  and  he  found  his  way  to  the  town  in  the  autumn  of 
1775.  He  came  highly  recommended  by  the  English  authorities 
of  New  York,  and  jumped  into  favor  immediately  with  General  Gage. 
The  closing-in  of  the  town  by  the  patriots  led  many  Tories  to  seek 
flight  either  to  England  or  Canada  to  await  the  cessation  of  hostilities. 
They  had  many  valuables  which  they  were  unable  to  take  with  them. 
In  October,  1775,  Brush  was  delegated  by  Gage  to  receive  such 
goods  for  safe-keeping.  In  the  following  March  he  was  authorized 
by  General  Howe  to  secure  all  woollen  and  linen  goods,  to  keep 
them  from  the  "  rebels."     General  Howe  proclaimed  :   "  If,  after  this 


100  THE   IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

notice,  any  person  secretes  or  keeps  in  his  possession  such  articles, 
he  will  be  treated  as  favoring  the  rebels."  General  Howe's  commission 
to  Brush  went  further.  It  stated  that  there  was  in  the  town  a  large 
quantity  of  goods  which,  "  in  the  possession  of  the  rebels,  would 
enable  them  to  carry  on  the  war;  "  and  authorized  him  to  take 
possession  of  all  such  goods  as  answered  this  description,  and  put 
them  on  board  the  ship  "  Minerva"  and  the  brigantine  "  Elizabeth." 
This  was  a  sweeping  permission  for  Brush  to  rob,  and  he  immediately 
took  advantage  of  it.  Early  in  the  year  1776  he  had  secured 
permission  from  General  Howe  to  raise  a  body  of  three  hundred 
"  loyal  volunteers,"  who  were  to  serve  like  the  corps  of  Royal 
Fencible  Americans,  already  organized.  Under  cover  of  his 
commission,  and  with  the  aid  of  his  three  hundred  loyal  brigands, 
he  broke  open  stores,  stripped  them  of  their  goods,  and  carried  them 
on  board  the  ships.  Thieves  and  cut-throats,  seeing  him  at  this 
work,  assumed  authority  to  do  likewise,  and  despoiled  all  those  whom 
Brush  permitted  to  escape  while  hunting  for  better  prey.  On  the 
day  of  the  evacuation  he  put  off  in  the  brigantine  "  Elizabeth," 
which  was  heavily  laden  with  goods  valued  at  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  at  least.  He  had,  however,  delayed  his  departure  too  long. 
The  fleet  was  down  at  the  roads  when  the  "  Elizabeth "  was  trying 
to  get  out  of  the  harbor.  She  was  captured  and  brought  back  to 
Boston.  The  goods  were  confiscated,  and  Brush  was  put  in  the 
Boston  jail  heavily  ironed.  He  was  kept  under  rigid  restrictions 
marked  by  merited  indignities,  though,  it  would  seem,  he  found 
opportunity  for  gross  intemperance.  In  1777  he  was  joined  by  his 
wife,  who  contrived,  after  he  had  been  in  prison  more  than  nineteen 
months,  to  disguise  him  in  her  own  clothing,  so  as  to  enable  him,  on 
the  night  of  Nov.  5,  1777,  to  get  out  of  jail  and  away  to  New  York. 
He  went  afterwards  to  Vermont,  to  look  after  his  fifty  thousand  acres 
of  land,  which  he  had  seized  upon  as  his  share  during  the  land 
controversy.  He  fell  into  further  trouble,  and  his  estate  was,  for  the 
most  part,  confiscated.  In  May,  1778,  weighed  down  by  grief  and 
remorse,  he  blew  out  his  brains  with  a  pistol. 


THE    IRISH   SOLDIER. 


101 


Turning  from  this  Firbolg 1  to  the  more  deserving  of  our  race, 
we  find  in  the  Continental  army  besieging  Boston  the  following 
significant  names  :  — 


Henry  Adams  (enrolled 

as  an  Irishman), 
Patrick  Brezland, 
Charles  Briant, 
Michael  Bailey, 
Charles  O'Brien, 
William  Boyed, 
Richard  Burk, 
John  McClary, 
Maurice  Conner, 
Cornelius  Corbitt, 
John  Conway, 
Richard  Colbert, 
William  Connelly, 
Timothy  Dwyer, 
Daniel  Driskill, 
John  Dorin, 
Wm.  Doyle, 
Michael  Edwards, 
Thomas  Eagin, 
John  Flynn, 
Thom.  Gurney, 
Michael  Grant, 
John  Gillen, 
Robert  Hughes, 
William  Hurly, 
John  Houlding, 
Dennis  Hogan, 
Bartholomew  Hurley, 


Solomon  Hurley, 
John  Kneeland, 
David  Kelley, 
Matthew  Casey, 
Elijah  Kelley, 
Michael  Kirland, 
William  Kelly, 
William  Lackey, 
Philip  Laraway, 
Wm.   Love    (entered 

from  Ireland), 
Robt.  Morrison, 
Daniel  McCarty, 
Dominick  Murray, 
Hugh  McKowen, 
John  Mitchell, 
Wm.  Murphy, 
John  McDonald, 
John  McGee, 
Jeremiah  Mahoney, 
John  McClarry, 
Francis  McNeal, 
John  Maloney, 
Andrew  Meguire, 
Phil  Mahone, 
Barney  McCormick, 
John  O'Connel, 
James  Magee, 
James  Nagle, 


Michael  Neagles, 
James  Neil, 
John  Noonan, 
James  Newland, 
Thomas  O'Bryan, 
John  O'Brian, 
Charles  O'Brian, 
Gregory  O'Brian, 
Thomas  O'Brian, 
John  O'Hara, 
John  Ray, 
James  Riley, 
Michael  Rockford, 
Thomas  Riley, 
Thomas  Sharidan, 
Maurice  Shehay, 
Edmund  Sculley, 
Jeremiah  Shea, 
William  Sullivan, 
Elijah  T.  Tinvey, 
Cornelius  Teigh, 
James  Welsh, 
Samuel  Welsh, 
James  Kennedy, 
William  Ryan, 
John  Welch, 
Morris  Welsh, 
Barnabus  Ryan, 
Simeon  Riley. 


1  Every  one  who  is  black-haired,  who  is  a  tattler,  guileful,  tale-bearing,  noisy,  con- 
temptible; every  wretched,  mean,  strolling,  unsteady,  harsh,  and  inhospitable  person;  every 
slave,  every  mean  thief,  every  churl,  every  one  who  loves  not  to  listen  to  music  and  enter- 
tainment, the  disturbers  of  every  council  and  every  assembly,  and  the  promoters  of  discord 
among  people,  —  these  are  the  descendants  of  the  Firbolgs  in  Erinn.  —  Charles  De  Kay,  in 
The  Century,  January,  i88g. 


102  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


IV.  —  The  War  of  1812  and  the  Mexican   War. 

The  War  of  181 2  contains  very  little  that  concerns  us.  It  was 
not  popular  in  the  East.  The  Federal  party,  that  at  that  time  domi- 
nated nearly  all  the  New  England  States,  was  opposed  to  the  war. 
When  the  news  was  received  in  Massachusetts  that  President  Madi- 
son had  declared  war  on  the  British,  there  was  intense  opposition. 
The  feeling  of  opposition  to  the  war  was  especially  bitter  in  Boston. 
Boston  people  were  largely  engaged  in  commerce,  and  feared  the 
prowling  war-ships  of  Great  Britain.  President  Madison  and  his 
administration  were  loudly  denounced.  The  Federalists  charged  that 
the  war  was  simply  a  political  move  to  retain  the  Democracy  in 
power.  The  English  spirit  seemed  to  have  revived  with  new  strength 
among  the  Eastern  traders.  They  refused  assistance  to  the  general 
government,  and  did  nothing  whatever  to  promote  the  success  of  the 
war. 

Probably  it  was  on  the  war  issue  that  the  Democracy  of  the  State 
swung  into  power,  for  in  18 12  their  candidate  for  governor  was  elected. 
Both  branches  of  the  Legislature  were  also  Democratic.  Gover- 
nor Gerry  openly  accused  the  Federal  party  "  of  being  anti-repub- 
lican in  its  principles,  and  opposed  to  the  measures  of  the  general 
government.  Are  we  not  called  upon,"  said  he,  "to  decide  whether 
we  will  commit  the  liberty  and  independence  of  ourselves  and  pos- 
terity to  the  fidelity  and  protection  of  a  national  administration,  at 
the  head  of  which  is  a  Madison,  supported  by  an  Executive  Depart- 
ment, a  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  abounding  with  Revolu- 
tionary and  other  meritorious  patriots,  or  to  a  British  administration, 
the  disciples  of  Bute,  who  was  the  author  of  a  plan  to  enslave  these 
States,  and  to  American  royalists  who  cooperated  with  that  govern- 
ment to  bind  us  in  chains  while  colonists?  Is  it  not  morally  and 
politically  impossible  that  a  doubt  can  exist  in  regard  to  the  choice?  " 

The  Federalists  succeeded  in  electing  Caleb  Strong  as  Governor 
Gerry's  successor.  Boston  was  the  seat  of  discontent  and  turbulence. 
Public  passion  was  inflamed  ;  and  from  the  moment  war  was  declared, 


K_ 


HENRY    A.    McGLENEN, 


THE   IRISH  SOLDIER.  103 

Boston  clamored  for  peace  and  reprobated  the  war  as  wicked  and 
unjust. 

The  State  Senate  was  Democratic,  while  the  House  was  controlled 
by  the  Federalists.  The  House  issued  an  address  containing  these 
words :  "  If  your  sons  must  be  torn  from  you  by  conscription,  con- 
sign them  to  the  care  of  God,  but  let  there  be  no  volunteers  except 
for  defensive  war." 

The  address  issued  by  the  Senate  contained  the  following :  "  Let 
your  young  men  who  compose  the  militia  be  ready  to  march  at  a 
moment's  warning  to  any  part  of  our  shores  in  defence  of  our  coast." 

Notwithstanding  the  English  spirit  which  seemed  to  dominate 
the  majority  of  Massachusetts  citizens,  and  which  led  to  acts  border- 
ing on  secession,  there  were  still  several  companies  raised  in  the  State 
for  its  defence.  The  records  of  these  companies  are  in  the  archives 
at  Washington,  and  consequently  not  available  for  this  work.  There 
were  the  New  England  Guards,  the  Rangers,  and  the  Boston  and 
Charlestown  Sea  Fencibles,  all  Boston  companies,  and  containing  on 
their  rolls  many  Irish  names. 

New  England  was  opposed  to  the  Mexican  War  also.  The  Whig 
party  of  Massachusetts  deemed  it  a  war  to  extend  the  Southern  slave 
power,  and  were  inclined  to  refuse  all  assistance  to  it.  The  third 
party,  which  was  destined  to  supplant  the  Whig  party,  and  which  was 
to  be  known  as  the  Republican,  was  at  that  time  making  itself  felt, 
and  its  members  were  unalterably  opposed  to  the  war.  At  the 
request  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  Governor  Briggs  called  upon  the 
citizen  soldiery  to  enlist.  This  was  in  May,  1846,  and  in  November 
of  the  same  year  a  regiment  was  raised,  with  Caleb  Cushing  of  New- 
buryport  as  colonel,  Isaac  H.  Wright  of  Roxbury,  lieutenant-colonel, 
and  Edward  W.  Abbott  of  Andover  as  major.  It  is  understood  that 
this  regiment  never  went  into  action  in  whole  or  in  part.  They 
left  Boston  in  February,  1847;  an<^  June  21,  1848,  they  departed 
from  Vera  Cruz  for  home.  The  rolls  of  this  regiment,  preserved  in 
the  Adjutant-General's  office,  show  that  at  least  two-fifths  of  the  en- 
listed men  in  the  regiment  were  Irish-Americans,  among  them  being 
Henry  A.  McGlenen,  the  popular  manager  of  the  Boston  Theatre. 


104  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


V.  —  The    War  of  Secession. 

EVERY  regiment  in  the  Army  of  the  North  had  in  it  soldiers 
who  were  Irishmen  or  Irishmen's  sons.  A  mere  list  of  these  soldiers 
would  make  a  volume  of  this  size.  They  were  not  confined  to 
the  ranks.  They  furnished  types  of  heroism  in  the  navy,  as  well 
as  in  the  army,  and  in  all  grades,  even  to  the  highest.  The  daring 
and  romantic  figure  of  Sheridan,  unique  in  our  history,  is  a  fitting 
crown  to  the  valor  of  Irishmen  everywhere.  They  have  fought  on 
every  field  but  Ireland's  successfully;  and  the  culmination  of  their 
labors  is  the  salvation  of  the  American  Union. 

As  for  Massachusetts,  the  army  rolls  at  the  adjutant-general's 
office  in  Boston  furnish  a  striking  revelation.  Two  of  the  regiments 
were  so  distinctively  Irish  that  the  State  permitted  them  to  carry  the 
flag  of  their  mother-country.  Thus  it  was  that  the  "sunburst" 
floated  in  companionship  with  the  stars  and  stripes  above  the  bay- 
onets of  the  famous  Ninth  Massachusetts  Volunteers  and  the  equally 
famous  Twenty-eighth,  the  "  Faugh-a-Ballaughs."  Other  regiments 
from  the  State  might  also  have  carried  the  green  flag  so  far  as  the  na- 
tionality of  their  membership  was  concerned.  These  long  lists  of 
brave  men  suggest  to  the  imagination  pictures  of  the  martial  possi- 
bilities of  the  Irish  people.  The  thought  comes  of  having  them  mar- 
shalled in  one  grand  host.  They  would  not  lack  for  leaders.  Sheridan 
first,  and  about  him  Shields,  Meagher,  Kearny,  and  the  rest,  would 
make  the  blows  of  such  an  army  effective  and  lasting. 

The  two  Irish  regiments  mentioned  above  are  always  referred  to 
with  high  commendation  in  all  the  reports  made  to  the  adjutant-gen- 
eral during  the  four  years  of  the  war.1  Their  record  is  as  clear  as 
the  work  of  brave  men  can  make  it.  No  regiment  should  have  a 
warmer  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  citizens  of  Boston  than  the  Ninth, 
for  no  regiment  came  closer  to  her  people.  Officers  and  men,  the 
great  majority  of  them,  were  her  citizens. 

1  "  The  Ninth  was  one  of  the  best  regiments  that  ever  left  the  State."  —  Adjutant- 
Generals  Report. 


THE  IRISH  SOIDIER. 


105 


Among  the  first  to  proffer  his  services  to  Governor  Andrew  at 
the  outbreak  of  the  war  was  Thomas  Cass.  His  idea  was  to  organize 
a  regiment  of  Irishmen,  who  should  be  permitted  to  carry  the  Irish 
flag,  and,  with  the  governor's  hearty  approval,  he  perfected  such  an 
organization.  It  may  be  said  that  Colonel  Cass  made  the  regiment's 
renown.  His  officers  partook  of  his  spirit,  his  untiring  devotion,  his 
unfaltering  belief  in  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  cause ;  so  that 
when  he  fell,  mortally  wounded,  in  one  of  the  seven  days'  battles, 
the  regiment's  loss  was  more  bereavement  than  disaster.  His  mantle 
fell  on  Colonel  Guiney,  who  proved  a  worthy  successor.  We  give 
here  a  complete  list  of  the  war  officers  of  this  regiment.  Some  are 
gone ;   but  their  children  are  among  us,  and  not  forgotten. 


Colonels. 
Thomas  Cass,** 
Patrick  R.  Guiney. 
Brig.  Gen.] 


[Bvt. 


Lieutenant-  Colonels . 
Cromwell  G.  Rowell, 
Robert  Peard,*** 
Patrick  R.  Guiney, 
Patrick  T.  Hanley.   [Bvt. 
Colonel.] 

Majors. 
Robert  Peard, 
Patrick  R.  Guiney, 
George  W.  Dutton, 
Patrick  T.  Hanley, 
John  W.  Mahan. 


Surgeons. 
Peter  Pinco, 
James  F.  Sullivan, 
Stephen  W.  Drew. 


\ 


Assistant  Surgeons. 
Patrick  A.  O'Connell, 
Francis  M.  Lincoln, 
James  F.  Sullivan, 
Henry  H.  Fuller, 
John  Ryan, 
James  W.  Fitzpatrick. 

Chaplains. 
Father  Thomas  Scully, 
Father  Charles  L.  Egan. 

Captains. 
Christopher  Plunkett, 
James  E.  Gallagher,* 
John  R.  Teague, 
John  Carey,* 
Charles  J.  McCarthy, 
James  E.  McCafferty,* 
Timothy  O'Leary, 
John  W.  Mahan, 
Michael  Scanlan, 
James  F.  McGunigle, 


Thomas  R.  Roche, 
Timothy  Burke, 
Patrick  R.  Guiney, 
Edward  Fitzgerald, 
Jeremiah  O'Neil,* 
George  W.  Dutton, 
Patrick  T.  Hanley, 
John  H.  Rafferty, 
John  C.  Willey, 
John  H.  Walsh, 
Michael  F.  O'Hara, 
John  M.  Tobin, 
Patrick  W.  Black, 
William  A.  Phelan,f 
Michael  A.  Finnerty, 
Michael  Flynn, 
Martin  O'Brien, 
James  W.  McNamara,| 
William  Madigan.* 

First  Lieutenants. 
George  W.  Perkins, 
John  Moran, 


*  Killed  at  Gaines's  Mills, 
t  Killed  in  the  Wilderness. 
**  Died  in  Boston  of  wounds  received  at  Malvern  Hill. 
***  Died  of  disease  while  in  the  service. 


106 


THE    IRISH   IN  BOSTOA. 


Michael  Scanlan, 
Patrick  T.  Hanky, 
John  W.  Mahan, 
William  W.  Doherty, 
Michael  H.  McNamara, 
Timothy  O'Leary, 
John  M.  Tobin, 
Thomas  R.  Roche, 
James  E.  McCafferty, 
James  F.  McGunigle, 
John  H.  Walsh, 
William  Strachan, 
Patrick  Walsh, 
Philip  E.  Redmond, 
John  C.  Willey, 
Edward  McSweeney,J 
John  H.  Rafferty,J 
Thomas  Mooney, 
William  Burke, 
Michael  Phalan, 
Michael  F.  O'Hara, 
Michael  Flynn, 
William  A.  Phelan, 
Michael  A.  Finnerty, 
Matthew  Dacey, 
Nicholas  C.  Flaherty,! 
John  W.  McNamara, 
Patrick  E.  Murphy, 
Robert  A.  Miller, 


Richard  P.  Nugent,* 
Timothy  Dacey, 
Joseph  Murphy, 
Michael  F.  O'Hara, 
Patrick  W.  Black, 
John  Doherty, 
Daniel  G.  Macnamara, 
Archibald  Simpson, f 
William  B.  Maloney, 
Martin  O'Brien, 
Christopher  Plunkett, 
Bernard  F.  Finan, 
John  F.  Doherty, 
James  O'Donnell, 
William  R.  Burke. 

Second  Lieutenants. 
Patrick  Walsh, 
John  H.  Rafferty, 
Edward  McSweeney, 
John  H.  Walsh, 
Philip  E.  Redmond,ftt 
Timothy  Burke, 
John  C.  Willey, 
Patrick  W.  Black, 
Edward  Fennottie, 
Michael  Flynn, 
Matthew  Dacey, 
John  Doherty, 


William  B.  Mahoney, 
Martin  O'Brien, 
Timothy  Dacey, 
Patrick  E.  Murphy, 
Charles  B.  McGinnisken,f 
Christopher  Plunkett, 
Hugh  McGunnigle, 
Archibald  Simpson, 
R.  P.  Nugent, 
Timothy  F.  Lee, 
Michael  Phalan, 
Michael  C.  Flaherty, 
Michael  A.  Finnerty, 
Francis  O'Dowd,* 
William  A.  Phelan, 
Robert  A.  Miller, 
Bernard  F.  Finan, 
John  F.  Doherty, 
Daniel  G.  Macnamara, 
William  J.  Blood, 
James  W.  McNamara, 
William  R.  Burke, 
James  O'Donnell, 
William  A.  Plunkett, 
Joseph  Murphy, 
Frank  McLalor, 
Philip  Redmond, 
James  O'Neill.t 


The  Twenty-eighth  was  mustered  in  on  Jan.  n,  1862,  at  Camp 
Cameron,  near  Boston.  They  first  smelt  powder  at  James's  Island, 
June  1  and  2,  in  an  effort  to  take  Fort  Johnson,  which  was 
successfully  resisted.  We  give  here  a  list  of  their  war  officers,  and 
we  shall  leave  further  mention  of  their  record  till  they  join  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  Aug.  16,  1862.  Thus  our  history  of  the  two 
regiments  will  be  in  the  main  a  history  of  that  famous  army. 

*  Killed  at  Gaines's  Mill, 
t  Killed  in  the  Wilderness. 
%  Killed  at  Malvern  Hill, 
fff  Died  in  hospital  at  Washington,  D.C. 


THE    IRISH   SOLDIER. 


107 


Colonels. 
William  Monteith, 
Richard  Byrnes,**** 
George  W.  Cartwright. 

Lieutenant-  Colonels. 
Maclellan  Moore, 
Jeremiah  W.  Coveney, 
George  W.  Cartwright, 
James  Fleming. ftt 

Majors. 
Andrew  P.  Caraher, 
Andrew  J.  Lawler.** 

Surgeon. 
Patrick  A.  O'Connell. 

Chaplains. 
Father  Nicholas  O'Brien, 
Father  Lawrence  S.  Mc- 
Mahon. 

Captains. 
Andrew  P.  Caraber, 
Lawrence  P.  Barrett, 
Charles  P.  Smith,* 
Andrew  J.  Lawler, 
John  H.  Brennan, 
Samuel  Moore, 
John  A.  McDonald, 
John  Riley, 
Patrick  Nolan,*** 
Alexander  Blaney, 


George  F.  McDonald, 
Michael  Kiley, 
Martin  Binney, 
Patrick  W.  Black, 
John  Miles, 
Patrick  Mclntyre,*** 
John  Conners,fff 
Patrick  H.  Bird. 

First  Lieutenants. 
Charles  H.  Sanborn, 
Humphrey  Sullivan, 
John  J.  Cooley, 


*** 


Hugh  P.  Boyle, 
James  Magee, 
James  McArdle, 
James  O'Keefe, 
Benjamin  F.  Bartlett, 
William  Mitchell, 
Moses  J.  Emery, 
James  Magner,** 
Addison  A.  Hosmer, 
John  Ahern, 
William  J.  Lemoyne, 
Jeremiah  W.  Coveney, 
Michael  Keiley, 
Edward  F.  O'Brien, 
Leonard  Harvey, 
Martin  Binney, 
Walter  J.  Morgan, 
Patrick  W.  Black, 
John  Miles, 
John  Conners, 
M.  Quilty, 


John  Miner, 
Patrick  H.  Bird, 
Patrick  Mclntyre, 
John  Maher, 
John  Knight, 
Michael  E.  Pouderly, 
Thomas  J.  Parker,fff 
Thomas  Cook. 

Second  Lieutenants. 
James  B.  West,**** 
Jeremiah  W.  Coveney, 
Josiah  F.  Kennison, 
John  Ahern, 
Florence  J.  Buckley, 
James  A.  Mclntyre,* 
Nicholas  J.  Barrett, f 
William  H.  Flynn,***** 
J.  Howard  Tannant, 
Theophilus  F.  Page, 
Edwin  J.  Weller,ff 
John  B.  Noyes, 
William  F.  Cochrane,** 
Walter  S.  Bailey, 
John  Sullivan, ff 
Jacob  Nebrich, 
Patrick  W.  Black, 
Cornelius  McCarty, 
Thomas  Cook, 
John  McGlinn, 
William  McCarty, 
Alexander  Barrett,***** 
David  Hogan. 


It  was   in  April,  1 86 1,  that  the  Ninth  Regiment  was   organized 
and  encamped  on  Long  Island.     On  June  29  Colonel  Cass  led  them 
Two  days  after  the  disaster  at  Bull  Run  they  joined 


to  Washington 


*  Killed  at  Wilderness. 
**  Killed  at  Spottsylvania. 
***  Killed  at  Deep  Bottom. 
****  Killed  at  Cold  Harbor. 


*****  Killed  at  Chantilly. 
f  Killed  at  Sharpsburg. 
ft  Killed  at  Fredericksburg, 
tft  Killed  at  Petersburg. 


108  THE   IRISH   IN  BOSTON. 

the  troops  posted  as  the  guard  of  our  national  capital  on  Arlington 
Heights,  —  the  scene  of  the  first  armed  invasion  of  "the  sacred  soil 
of  Virginia."  Washington  was  then  in  a  state  of  wholesome  terror. 
The  "powers  that  be"  had  gone  into  the  war  with  the  idea  that  one 
good  blow  would  knock  the  Confederacy  down ;  but  the  Confederacy 
countered  unexpectedly  at  Bull  Run,  and  after  that  the  national 
"government  was  careful  to  keep  its  guard  up.  One  good  result  of 
this  defeat  was  the  creation  of  the  great  Army  of  the  Potomac,1  with 
Gen.  George  B.  McClellan,  then  but  thirty-five  years  of  age,  as  its 
commander.  The  Ninth  left  Arlington  Heights  to  join  this  famous 
army,  in  the  early  spring  of  1862. 

We  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  controversy  which  makes  com- 
parison between  masterly  retreats  and  brilliant  victories  ;  they  both, 
it  seems  to  us,  are  a  necessity  to  the  proper  conduct  and  success 
of  a  war.  In  the  eyes  of  his  soldiers,  or  at  least  of  a  large  majority 
of  them,  McClellan  was  the  ideal  soldier.  He  was  an  especial  favorite 
of  his  Irish  followers. 

In  the  peninsular  campaign  the  Ninth  bore  a  beautiful  national 
flag,  which  had  been  presented  to  the  regiment  by  the  boys  of  the 
Eliot  school.2  It  may  seem  hard  to  understand  the  dual  patriotism 
symbolized  by  these  two  flags.  Certain  it  is  that  the  cry :  "  Rally 
round  the  green  flag ! "  nerved  this  regiment  to  some  of  its  bravest 
deeds.  It  must  have  been  a  surprise  to  the  people  of  Alexandria, 
Va.,  on  that  March  morning,  to  see  a  thousand  boys  in  blue  march- 
ing to  the  national  tunes  of  Ireland  and  flying  their  Irish  flag ;  and 
a  still  greater  surprise  to  see  that  same  flag  flying  at  the  peak  of  the 
U.S.  Transport  "  State  of  Maine,"  which  took  the  Ninth  to  Fortress 
Munroe. 

1  The  order  for  the  transportation  of  McClellan's  army  was  issued  on  the  27th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1862,  and  four  hundred  vessels  were  required;  for  there  were  actually  transported  one 
hundred  and  twenty-one  thousand  men,  fourteen  thousand  animals,  forty-four  batteries,  and 
all  the  necessary  ambulances  and  baggage-wagons,  pontoons,  and  telegraph  material.  — 
Rossiter  Johnson  ;  "A  Short  History  of  the  War  of  Secession." 

2  The  Eliot  school  is  located  at  the  North  End  of  Boston,  in  a  section  of  the  city  which, 
at  that  time,  was  largely  populated  by  people  of  Irish  extraction.  Many  of  the  friends,  rela- 
tives, and  parents  of  the  men  of  the  Ninth  lived  at  the  North  End.  The  battle-torn  remnants 
of  this  flag  now  hang  in  the  hall  of  the  school-house  on  North  Bennett  street. 


THE    IRISH  SOIDIER. 


109 


The  campaign  upon  which  McClellan  now  entered  was  full  of 
unforeseen  difficulties.  The  first  and  greatest  was  the  complete  igno- 
rance of  the  Union  army  as  to  the  topography  of  the  country  in 
which  they  were  at  work.  It  was  some  comfort  to  know  that  among 
the  natives  of  the  district,  who  knew  only  their  own  immediate 
neighborhood,  the  ignorance  of  the  enemy  was  just  as  complete. 
Such  a  thing  as  a  map  of  the  peninsula  had  never  been  made.  If 
the  President  had  had  a  good  map  of  the  country  he  could  have  seen, 
and  undoubtedly  would  have  seen,  the  mistake  that  is  now  so  easily 
pointed  out.  McClellan  had  planned  an  approach  to  Richmond  along 
the  James  river  on  the  north  bank.  The  advantages  of  such  a  plan  are 
readily  seen  by  reference  to  our  sketch. 

The  base  of  supplies 
could  be  on  the  James, 
transports  and  supply- 
boats  could  come  up  to 
headquarters,  and  it 
would  be  unnecessary  to 
leave  heavy  garrisons  for 
covering  a  long  line  of 
communication.  The  gov- 
ernment at  Washington, 
however,  was  very  nerv- 
ous, and,  although  they 
now  had  about  70,000  men,  including  McDowell's  corps,  which 
should  have  been  with  McClellan,  the  War  Department  issued 
an  order,  May  18,  directing  that  the  army  should  approach 
Richmond  from  the  north.  This  made  it  necessary  for  McClellan 
to  make  his  base  of  supplies  on  the  York  and  Pamunkey  in- 
stead of  on  the  James.  The  mistake  of  such  a  plan  is  now 
clearly  seen.  The  accompanying  rough  map  of  the  peninsula 
shows  the  relative  positions  of  Fortress  Munroe,  Richmond,  and 
White  House,  where,  according  to  this  order,  McClellan  made  his 
base  of  supplies.  The  entire  route,  from  whatever  camp  he  might  be 
in,  to  this  last  point,  had  to  be  kept  secure  from  hostile  occupation, 


Plan  of  the  Peninsular  Campaign. 


M     Fortress  Munroe. 
R     Richmond. 
W    White  House. 


Y    York  River. 

J    James  River. 

C    Chickahominy  River. 


110  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

or  else,  some  fine  day,  the  army  would  have  to  fight  for  their  supper, 
with  a  slim  chance  of  any  being  left  for  them.  Again,  the  Chicka- 
hominy  river  lay  between  them  and  Richmond.  Sudden  rains  might, 
in  a  single  day,  make  this  stream  a  torrent,  and  in  two  days  impass- 
able. When  the  army  should  cross  this  river  they  would  leave  it 
between  them  and  their  supplies ;  to  leave  a  sufficient  guard  on  the 
other  bank  would  hopelessly  weaken  the  attack,  and  to  leave  no 
guard  would  be  to  stake  every  hope  of  safety,  not  only  for  them- 
selves, but  for  the  Union,  upon  the  chances  of  a  single  day's 
fighting. 

McClellan  was  finally  aroused  to  the  imminent  danger  of  his 
situation  by  the  daring  raid  of  a  body  of  about  1,500  Confederate 
cavalry,  which  rode  completely  around  his  army,  between  him  and 
White  House.  This  was  on  the  12th  of  June.  If,  instead  of  "  Jeb  " 
Stuart  and  his  audacious  band,  the  invaders  had  been  Jackson,  with 
a  large  detachment,  and  if,  instead  of  hurrying  by,  they  had  stopped 
to  wreck  the  stores  at  White  House,  the  result  can  be  imagined. 
McClellan  was  then  astride  the  Chickahominy,  and  determined  to 
change  his  base  to  conform  with  his  old  idea. 

Soon  after  this  Lee  began  to  lay  his  plans  for  attacking  the  Union 
army.  On  June  26,  in  pursuance  of  a  plan  for  a  change  of  base, 
the  heavy  guns  and  a  large  part  of  the  baggage  train  were  removed 
to  the  north  bank  of  the  Chickahominy.  Lee,  Longstreet,  and  the 
two  Generals  Hill  crossed  the  Chickahominy  and  attempted  to  turn 
the  flank  of  the  Federal  troops ;  but  the  artillery  literally  mowed 
them  down,  and  they  gained  no  advantage.  The  next  day  McClellan 
continued  the  plan  he  had  entered  upon.  Porter  was  covering  the 
removal  of  the  remainder  of  the  stores,  when  he  was  attacked  by 
Gen.  A.  P.  Hill,  and  thus  was  brought  on  the  battle  of  Gaines's 
Mills,  or  Chickahominy.  The  desperate  character  of  this  engage- 
ment may  be  estimated  from  the  fact  that  the  National  army  lost 
6,000  men,  and  the  enemy's  loss  is  estimated  at  a  much  larger  figure. 
The  Ninth  lost  nearly  300  men,  —  over  one-fifth  of  their  fighting 
strength.  The  Ninth  was  in  General  Porter's  corps,  the  available 
strength  of  which  on  this  day  was  about  25,000  men,  while  Long- 


THE   IRISH  SOLDIER.  Ill 

street  and  the  Hills  brought  against  him  an  army  of  at  least  55,000 
men. 

The  battle  was  begun  by  Gen.  A.  P.  Hill,  about  two  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  and  for  two  hours  he  hammered  Porter,  blow  on  blow, 
only  to  be  hurled  back  with  frightful  loss.  Jackson  came  with  rein- 
forcements, and  then  heavy  masses  of  Confederate  troops  made 
assaults  all  along  the  National  line.  Volley  responded  to  volley; 
batteries  that  remained  after  the  infantry  supports  had  fallen  back 
were  decimated,  captured  and  recaptured.  The  enemy  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  breaking  General  Porter's  line,  and  at  sunset  he  was 
:ompelled  to  retire. 

The  work  of  Porter's  men  in  this  engagement  was  so  desperate 
and  deadly  that  the  Confederate  generals  thought  they  were  fighting 
the  whole  Union  army.  Part  of  the  rebel  force  was  completely 
demoralized.  Whole  regiments  were  deliberately  marching  back, 
and  there  was  the  most  outrageous  skulking  on  their  side  ever  seen 
during  the  war.  No  one  who  reads  the  story  of  the  peninsular 
battles  can  doubt  the  bravery  of  the  Southerners,  but  this  time  they 
had  roused  a  lion ;  the  Ninth  was  as  firm  as  a  rock  on  the  beach.1 
The  reckless  charges  of  the  secessionists  broke  against  their  steady 
bayonets  and  well-directed  fire  ;  the  entire  staff  of  a  regiment  before 
their  line  would  frequently  disappear,  and  the  headless  ranks  drift 
back  to  shelter. 

Colonel  Cass  was  disabled  by  illness  and  a  slight  wound  early 
in  the  battle,  and  his  men  were  led  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Guiney, 
who,  upon  the  death  of  Cass  at  Malvern  Hill,  succeeded  to 
the  command.  The  order  came  to  charge ;  Guiney  ordered  the 
colors  forward,  and  at  his  call  the  men  sprang  to  support  them. 
It  is  the  proud  record  of  this  regiment  that  they  never  lost  a  color, 
and  their  daring  charge  in  this  hotly  contested  battle  went  far  to 
save  the  colors  of  their  brother  regiments.  Surely  it  is  not  just  to 
call  theirs  a  divided  patriotism ;   that  green  flag,  symbol  of  hopes 

1  "The  Irish  held  their  position  with  a  determination  and  ferocity  that  called  forth 
the  admiration  of  our  own  officers."  —  Report  of  a  Prussian  officer  serving  in  the  rebel 
army,  quoted  in  McNamard's  "Irish  Ninth.'''' 


112  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

deferred  for  generations,  and  of  bitter,  fruitless  struggles  for  home 
and  freedom ;  the  flag  that  was  bought  by  their  children  and  deliv- 
ered into  their  hands  by  the  most  famous  Irish  soldier  then  living,1  — 
would  they  be  men  if  it  did  not  rouse  the  deepest  and  strongest 
passions  of  their  nature  ?  Would  they  be  worth  our  citizenship  if 
they  did  not  follow  it,  through  wounds  and  death,  to  the  greatness  of 
the  fame  that  history  awards  them  to-day? 

As  the  day  wore  on  with  its  fearful  work,  McClellan  sent  as 
reinforcements  Slocum's  division,  and  later  Meagher's  and  French's. 
These  last  troops  saved  the  day.  Stragglers  were  beginning  to  work 
their  way  towards  the  bridges,  and  the  thin  and  war-worn  lines  of 
heroes,  having  been  under  fire  for  two  days,  gladly  rested  behind  the 
bulwark  formed  by  the  fresh  troops.  The  enemy  were  finally 
baffled ;  their  victory,  all  but  won,  was  again  deferred.  They  were 
very  willing  to  permit  the  retreat  of  an  enemy  less  than  half  their 
number,  that  had  resisted  their  most  ferocious  and  reckless  attacks 
for  a  whole  day.  The  Ninth  was  among  the  last  regiments  to  leave 
this  field  of  dreadful  carnage.  After  all  the  terrible  strain  of  the 
day,  they  kept  their  ranks  with  the  steadiness  of  veterans,  and 
marched  without  a  symptom  of  panic,  an  exemplar  of  discipline  to 
the  rest  of  the  army,  and  a  nucleus  for  stragglers  that  had  courage 
enough  to  stay  where  they  could  find  fighting  companions.  We 
quote  from  the  New  York  "  Herald's  "  war  correspondent :  — 

The  Ninth  Massachusetts  Regiment  was  the  rear  of  the  retreating  column, 
which  had  passed  over  a  hill  into  a  large,  open  plain.     .     .     . 

To  break  and  run  was  not  for  the  men  who  had  covered  themselves  with  glory 
during  the  entire  day.  Col.  P.  R.  Guiney  (now  in  command)  decided  to  form  a 
line  of  battle  on  his  colors,  and  resist  the  approach  of  the  enemy  until  the  advance 
of  the  retreat  should  have  been  far  enough  to  leave  ground  sufficient  to  enable  him 
to  commence  his  retreat  in  good  order.  Colonel  Guiney,  with  his  standard-bearers, 
advanced  upon  the  rebels  with  the  words,  "Men,  follow  your  colors !  "  It  was 
enough.  Before  that  small  band  of  jaded  heroes  waved  the  stars  and  stripes  and 
the  green  flag  of  Erin,  and  with  loud  huzzas  they  rushed  upon  the  rebels,  driving 
them  up  hill. 

After   the    battle   of   Gaines's   Mills,    McClellan    continued    the 

1  Gen.  Thomas  Francis   Meagher,  then  commanding  the   "Irish  Brigade." 


THE    IRISH   SOLDIER.  113 

movement  that  he  had  begun.  The  enemy  fancied  that,  being 
forced  to  abandon  his  depot  at  White  House,  he  would  retreat  by 
the  way  he  had  come,  and  consequently  lost  valuable  time  in  pur- 
suing him.  They  did  attack  him  again,  however,  and  harassed  him 
all  along  his  line  of  retreat,  till  he  finally  entrapped  them  at  Malvern 
Hill.  This  was  a  small  eminence  on  the  north  bank'  of  the  James 
river.  The  ground  was  peculiarly  well  situated  for  defence,  and 
McClellan's  keen  engineering  sense  saw  every  point  of  vantage  it 
could  afford. 

Porter's  division,  of  which  the  Ninth  was  a  part,  shared  with 
Couch's  the  brunt  of  the  attack.  At  6  o'clock  P.M.  the  artillery 
of  the  enemy  concentrated  its  fire  upon  their  fronts.  Brigades 
formed  in  heavy  masses  under  the  cover  of  the  trees,  and  raising  the 
"  rebel  yell,"  started  on  the  run  across  the  open  ground  to  storm 
the  batteries.  They  were  received  first  by  a  shower  of  grape  and 
canister  from  the  guns ;  daring  and  determined,  they  pressed  on  to 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  line  only  to  receive  the  deadly  volley  that 
their  opponents  had  been  saving  for  close  quarters ;  then  the  Union 
soldiers  leaped  to  the  charge,  and  their  bayonets  drove  the  remnant 
of  their  foes,  in  utter  confusion,  down  and  away,  capturing  colors 
and  prisoners  in  goodly  numbers.  More  than  once  in  this  fight  the 
charges  of  the  Irish  Ninth  decided  a  critical  point  of  the  contest.1 
Colonel  Cass  had  told  General  Porter1  in  the  morning  that  his  men 
would  sweep  the  enemy  before  them,  and  they  did  it,  though  poor 
Cass  paid  for  it  with  his  life. 

It  seems  proper  to  insert  at  this  point  the  last  words  that  Mc- 
Clellan  ever  wrote,  the  grateful  tribute  of  the  illustrious  commander 
to  the  men  with  whom  and  by  whom  his  fame  was  made :  — 

So  long  as  life  lasts,  the  survivors  of  those  glorious  days  will  remember, 
with  quickened  pulse,  the  attitude  of  that  army  when  it  reached  the  goal  for 
which  it  had  striven  with  such  transcendent  heroism.  Exhausted,  depleted  in  num- 
bers, bleeding  at  every  pore,  but  still  proud  and  defiant,  and  strong  in  the  conscious- 
ness of  a  great  feat  of  arms  heroically  accomplished,  it  stood  ready  to  renew  the 

1  The  authority  for  these  statements  is  Gen.  Fitz- John  Porter. 


114  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

struggle  with  undiminished  ardor  whenever  its  commander  should  give  the  word. 
It  was  one  of  those  magnificent  episodes  which  dignify  a  nation's  history,  and  are 
fit  subjects  for  the  grandest  efforts  of  the  poet  and  painter. 

It  was  while  the  regiment  was  at  Harrison's  Landing  that  Col. 
P.  R.  Guiney  received  his  promotion  as  Colonel  Cass's  successor.  He 
had  been  with  the  regiment  from  the  date  of  its  commission,  and  had 
rapidly  risen  in  distinction  for  ability  and  bravery.  He  was  one  of 
the  active  organizers  of  the  regiment.  It  was  his  gallant  and  meri- 
torious conduct  at  the  battle  of  Gaines's  Mills  that  gained  him  the 
colonelcy,  his  promotion  having  been  urged  by  Gen.  Fitz-John 
Porter  himself. 

In  leaving  now,  as  we  must,  the  peninsular  campaign  to  follow 
the  fortunes  of  the  regiment  elsewhere,  it  must  not  be  supposed  that 
we  have  done  justice  to  their  story.  We  have  omitted  the  account 
of  important  battles  in  which  the  Ninth  participated,  and  we  have 
omitted  accounts  of  individual  and  regimental  gallantry  that  should 
properly  be  told.  The  trouble  is  not  the  lack  of  incident,  but  the 
lack  of  space  to  recount  it.  What  has  been  given  is  only  to  show 
the  importance  of  this  particular  campaign,  and  to  show  the  share  of 
our  Irish  regiments  in  preventing  the  disastrous  termination  which 
was  so  imminently  threatened  and  so  narrowly  averted.  To  write  in 
the  same  way  a  full  account  of  all  the  battles  in  which  the  Ninth  and 
its  peer,  the  Twenty-eighth,  took  part,  would  be  equivalent  to  writing 
a  history  of  the  greater  part  of  the  Civil  War.  Grateful  as  that  task 
would  be,  and  proud  as  the  record  of  our  race  would  be  in  it,  it  is 
not  our  present  purpose;  we  must  confine  ourselves  to  the  most 
sketchy  accounts,  and  be  content  with  the  omission  of  many  im- 
portant incidents. 

When  we  next  see  the  Ninth  in  battle,  they  are  serving  under 
Pope  in  the  second  Bull  Run.  On  August  29,  they  were  a  part  of  the 
corps  which  Porter  refused  to  lead  to  almost  certain  destruction,  —  a 
refusal  which  caused  one  of  the  most  unjust  military  sentences  known 
to  history.  The  next  day,  they  were  a  part  of  the  troops  which  Mc- 
Dowell hurled   desperately  at  Lee's  attacking  column,   still  trying  to 


THE  IRISH   SOLDIER.  115 

obey  their  blundering  chief  as  best  they  could.  The  Twenty-eighth 
was  also  in  this  battle,  having  recently  come  from  South  Carolina, 
and  did  good  service  in  repelling  the  flank  attack  of  Jackson's  troops 
at  Chantilly  on  the  last  day  of  the  fight.  The  total  loss  of  the  latter 
regiment  in  the  three  days'  battle  was  over  two  hundred. 

After  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  as  after  the  first,  the 
Government  turned  to  McClellan.  Lee  was  moving  North,  and  Mc- 
Clellan  started  on  his  track.  The  Ninth  and  the  Twenty-eighth  were 
now  following  the  same  leader.  Sometimes  one  was  in  action, 
sometimes  the  other.  After  McClellan  had  forced  the  passes  at 
South  Mountain,  the  Ninth  had  to  watch  inactively  from  the  left 
bank  of  Antietam  Creek  while  the  Twenty-eighth  fought  with  the 
heroic  fragment  of  the  army  that  McClellan  was  able  to  put  into 
action.  Their  loss  here  was  twelve  killed,  thirty-six  wounded,  out  of 
less  than  two  hundred  taken  into  action. 

Foiled  in  his  attempt  at  a  Northern  invasion,  Lee  started 
homeward.  McClellan  followed,  but  hesitated  to  attack  him  in  the 
strongly  intrenched  positions  that  he  was  able  to  secure.  The 
politicians  at  Washington  again  got  after  him,  and  between  them 
and  Halleck,  Lincoln  was  persuaded  to  "  swap  horses  "  again,  and 
Burnside  was  substituted  for  "  Little  Mac."  True  to  the  old  proverb, 
the  new  commander  rushed  in  where  McClellan  feared  to  risk  his 
well-beloved  men,  and  the  disaster  at  Fredericksburg  followed.  We 
were  pushed  to  an  impossible  attack,  slaughtered  by  a  determined 
foe  impregnably  intrenched ;  but  the  way  in  which  these  brave  men 
"  went  to  their  graves  like  beds  "  is  the  brightest  example  of  daring, 
heroic,  unflinching  devotion  to  duty  that  the  pages  of  history  afford. 
Burnside  ordered  a  charge  to  seize  the  heights  back  of  the  city. 
French  and  Hancock's  divisions  made  the  attack,  the  former  leading. 
They  came  on  bravely;  shells  burst  in  their  ranks,  but  they  closed 
the  gaps  and  marched  on ;  they  met  the  fire  of  the  infantry,  dropping 
by  hundreds,  but  not  stopping.  Finally  two  brigades  rose  up  from 
a  sunken  road  and  delivered  a  murderous  fire  almost  in  their  faces. 
They  halted  and  sought  shelter,  and  then  came  Hancock's  division 
with    the    brigades  of  Zook,   Meagher,  and  Caldwell,  —  about  five 


116  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

thousand  men.  In  Meagher's  brigade  was  the  Twenty-eighth 
Regiment.  They  charged  in  the  same  manner,  but  their  desperate 
valor  only  carried  them  nearer  to  the  deadly  stone-wall.  No 
organized  body  of  men  could  ever  reach  it,  for  the  enemy  were  so 
thick  behind  it  that  "  each  one  at  the  wall  had  two  or  three  behind 
him  to  load  muskets  and  hand  them  to  him,  while  he  had  only  to 
lay  them  flat  across  the  wall  and  fire  them."  Generals  Couch  and 
Howard,  observing  from  a  steeple,  saw  this  fighting,1  and  Howard 
could  not  suppress  a  cry  of  agony  as  he  saw  the  brave  men  drop. 

The  best  testimony  for  our  famous  countrymen  is  from  the  pen 
of  their  foes.  We  quote  from  First-Lieut.  William  Miller  Owen:2 
"  In  the  foremost  line  we  distinguished  the  green  flag  with  the  golden 
harp  of  old  Ireland,  and  we  knew  it  to  be  Meagher's  Irish  brigade. 
The  gunners  were  directed  to  turn  their  guns  against  this  column, 
but  the  gallant  enemy  pushed  on  beyond  all  former  charges,  and 
fought  and  left  their  dead  within  five  and  twenty  paces  of  the  sunken 
road." 

In  spite  of  all  the  daring  and  death,  the  attempt  failed  to  make 
any  impression  on  the  well-managed  army  of  Confederates,  and 
out  of  Hancock's  brave  five  thousand  that  started  on  the  charge, 
three  thousand  retired  at  the  end  of  fifteen  minutes,  leaving  their 
comrades  where  they  fell. 

After  one  or  two  more  of  these  frantic  efforts  to  carry  the  posi- 
tion by  storm,  Burnside  gave  it  up,  and  during  the  night  withdrew  to 
the  other  side  of  the  river.  Shortly  afterward  Hooker  superseded 
him,  and  attempted  to  get  around  Lee's  position  and  take  him  from 
the  rear.      He  began  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  by  a  brilliant 

1  "  I  had  never  before  seen  fighting  like  that.  Nothing  approaching  it  in  terrible 
uproar  and  destruction.  There  was  no  cheering  on  the  part  of  the  men,  but  a  stubborn 
determination  to  obey  orders  and  do  their  duty.  I  don't  think  there  was  much  feeling  of 
success.  As  they  charged,  the  artillery  fire  would  break  their  formation  and  they  would  get 
mixed ;  then  they  would  close  up,  go  forward,  receive  the  withering  infantry  fire,  and  those 
who  were  able  would  run  to  the  houses  and  fight  as  best  they  could,  and  then  the  next 
brigade  coming  up  in  succession  would  do  its  duty  and  melt  like  snow  coming  down  on  warm 
ground." — General  Couch,  in  "Battles  and  Leaders  of  the  Civil  War"  vol.  iii.,  p.  113. 

*  Battles  and  Leaders  of  the  Civil  War,  vol.  iii.,  p.  98. 


COL    PATRICK    T.    HANLEY. 


THE   IRISH  SOLDIER.  117 

strategic  movement,  which  was  soon  neutralized  by  his  vacillating 
and  incompetent  generalship ;  and  "  Fighting  Joe,"  after  making  a 
poor  defensive  battle,  retired,  beaten  like  his  predecessor,  though 
not  quite  so  badly.  His  old-time  energy  soon  returned,  however, 
and  he  detected  and  followed  up  the  attempted  invasion  of  the 
North,  which  culminated  at  Gettysburg.  Resenting  the  meddlesome 
and  injurious  dictation  of  Halleck,  the  commander-in-chief,  he  asked 
to  be  relieved  of  his  command.  Meade  was  appointed  in  his  place, 
and  led  the  army  to  the  field  which  turned  out  to  be  the  Waterloo 
of  the  Rebellion. 

The  Ninth  was  at  this  battle,  though  not  actively  engaged ;  they 
lost  one  killed  and  three  wounded  while  on  skirmish  duty.  The 
Irish  brigade  had  lost  their  old  commander,  and  now  followed 
Col.  Patrick  Kelley.  The  Twenty-eighth,  after  many  forced 
marches,  took  up  a  position  with  this  brigade  on  the  left  of  Ceme- 
tery Hill,  early  on  the  second  day  of  the  battle,  and  in  this  position 
line  of  battle  was  formed,  and  maintained  until  4  o'clock  P.M., 
at  which  time  the  regiment  moved  forward  and  engaged  the 
enemy,  who  were  strongly  posted  on  the  crest  of  a  rocky  hill. 
The  Twenty-eighth  went  over  the  top  of  this  hill  and  almost  to  the 
bottom  of  the  other  side,  being  the  whole  time  exposed  to  a  heavy  and 
concentrated  musketry  fire  and  losing  many  men.  The  enemy  were 
on  both  flanks,  and  caused  our  men  to  retire  a  short  distance  for 
support.  During  this  engagement  and  the  following  one  next  day, 
the  regiment  lost  in  killed,  wounded,  and  missing  one  hundred  and 
one  men. 

The  Confederacy  received  its  death-blow  at  Gettysburg,  and  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  soon  found  itself  on  old  battle-fields.  Our 
two  Irish  regiments  took  part  in  various  minor  engagements  till  the 
army  went  into  winter  quarters  in  the  fall  of  1863. 

In  February  of  the  next  year,  Grant  took  command  of  the 
armies  of  the  United  States,  and  thirteen  months  afterward  the  war 
finished,  and  the  great  and  good  Lincoln  had  gone  to  his  rest.  On 
the  3d  of  May,  Grant  crossed  the  Rapidan  southward  and  plunged 
into  the  Wilderness,  —  a  tract  of  deserted  mining  territory,  densely 


118  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

wooded  and  uninhabited.  Lee,  for  once,  took  the  offensive,  doubt- 
less expecting  to  surprise  his  opponent;  but  Grant  was  awake,  and 
the  "  murdering  match  "  in  the  jungle  left  him  in  first-rate  fighting 
and  marching  condition. 

It  was  in  the  first  day's  fight  in  the  Wilderness  that  Colonel 
Guiney  was  wounded  in  the  eye  by  a  minie-ball,  and  the  com- 
mand of  the  Ninth  devolved  upon  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hanley  during 
the  remainder  of  the  battle.  The  Twenty-eighth  was  there,  too. 
On  the  first  day  they  lost  sixteen  killed,  sixty-seven  wounded, 
and  fifteen  missing.  Here  gallantly  fell  Lieut.  James  Mclntire  and 
Capt.  Charles  P.  Smith.  They  lost  also  on  the  last  days  of  the 
battle,  though  not  so  'heavily. 

Grant  moved  "  by  the  left  flank "  from  this  time  forward,  and 
Lee  never  fought  except  defensively  thereafter.  It  was  a  race  for 
Richmond,  and  Lee  got  in  first ;  but  there  was  a  steady  fight  all  the 
way.  The  Ninth  was  in  it  up  to  Cold  Harbor,  June  3,  1864.  They 
lost  in  this  series  of  engagements  Captains  James  W.  Macnamara 
and  William  A.  Phelan,  and  Lieutenants  Nicholas  C.  Flaherty, 
James  O'Neill,  Archibald  Simpson,  and  Charles  B.  McGinniskin. 

The  Twenty-eighth  stayed  nearly  through  the  war.  In  a  daring 
charge  at  Cold  Harbor  they  lost  Colonel  Byrnes.  June  16  finds 
them  at  Petersburg,  charging  on  and  over  the  first  line  of  works, 
until  stopped  by  the  superior  force  of  the  enemy. 

This  regiment  was  the  last  to  leave  the  intrenchments  at  the 
fiercely  contested  battle  of  Reams's  Station,  August  25.  They  were 
on  this  occasion  publicly  complimented  for  gallant  conduct  by  the 
division  commander,  Gen.  Nelson  A.  Miles.  Their  losses  for  the 
year  1864  were,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  missing,  four  hundred  and 
five. 

The  time  of  enlistment  for  many  of  this  regiment  expired  early 
in  1865,  and  Colonel  Cartwright  returned  to  Boston  with  them.  The 
remainder  were  organized  into  the  Twenty- eighth  Battalion  of  Mas- 
sachusetts Volunteers.  Lieut.-Col.  James  Fleming  led  them  on 
March  25,  1865,  in  an  attack  on  Petersburg,  Va.  The  enemy  ad- 
vanced to  meet  the  attack  and  were  twice  repulsed.     On  this  occa- 


THE   IRISH  SOIDIER.  119 

sion  the  battalion  remained  under  fire  until  all  its  ammunition  had 
been  expended.  In  this  engagement  Lieutenant-Colonel  Fleming, 
Capt.  John  Conners,  Capt.  Patrick  Mclntyre,  and  First-Lieut.  T.  J. 
Parker  were  killed.  There  were  also  seven  men  killed  and  sixty-five 
wounded  out  of  two  hundred  taken  into  action. 

The  last  fight  of  any  moment  made  by  the  battalion  was  at 
South  Side  Railroad,  under  the  command  of  Capt.  P.  H.  Bird,  on 
April  3,  1865.  They  were  in  at  the  surrender  of  Lee,  and  formed 
part  of  the  grand  review  at  Washington. 


THE 


CATHOLIC   CHURCH   IN    BOSTON. 


THE   CATHOLIC   CHURCH   IN   BOSTON. 


A  BOOK  devoted  to  the  history  of  the  Irish  race  in  Boston  would 
be  ludicrously  incomplete  without  a  sketch  of  that  Church  to 
which,  at  least,  four-fifths  of  the  Irish  in  their  own  land,  or  other- 
where scattered,  belong.  The  loyalty  of  the  Catholic  Irish  to  their 
faith  is  a  proverb ;  and  in  New  England,  especially,  "  Irish "  and 
"  Catholic "  are,  for  all  practical  purposes,  convertible  terms.  In- 
deed, humanly  speaking,  the  strength  and  importance  of  the  Cath- 
olic Church  in  these  parts  to-day  are  due  to  the  influx  of  the  Irish 
element,  and  to  the  large  and  attractive  personalities  of  the  Irishmen 
who  became  prominent  in  her  episcopate  and  priesthood.  It  remains,, 
therefore,  but  to  outline  Catholic  progress,  as  a  whole,  in  Boston. 

The  first  Catholic  ever  to  set  foot  in  Boston  was,  doubtless,  the- 
Jesuit  missionary,  the  Rev.  Gabriel  Druillettes.     He  had  been  a  success- 
ful missionary  among  the  Abnaki  Indians  in  Maine.     In  1650,  Canada, 
being  anxious  to  open  a  free  intercolonial  trade  and  association,  for 
mutual  defence  against  the  Iroquois,  with  New  England,  Father  Druil- 
lettes was  sent  in  quality  of  ambassador,  so  to  speak,  by  the   Cana- 
dian  authorities   to   the   governing    powers   in    New   England.     The 
Jesuit  was  courteously  received  by  Major-General  Gibbons,  who  gave 
him  a  room  in  his  house  where  he  could  be  free  to  say  his  prayers 
and  perform  the  exercises  of  his  religion.     Whence  Dr.  John  Gilmary 
Shea,  in  his  "  History  of  the   Catholic  Church    in  Colonial  Days " 
(Vol.  I.  of  his  "Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States  "),  thinks  we 
may  infer  that  Father  Druillettes  celebrated  Mass  in  Boston,  Decem- 
ber, 1650.     "At  Roxbury,"  continues  Dr.  Shea,  "he  visited    Eliot 
(the  Pilgrim  missionary  to  the  Indians),  who  pressed  him  to  remain 
under  his  roof  until  spring."     The  Jesuit  did  not  prolong  his  stay. 
Be  it  remembered  that  only  three  years  before,  1647,  a  law  had  been 


124  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

enacted   in  New  England  expelling  every  Jesuit   from  the  colonies, 
and  dooming  him  to  the  gallows  if  he  returned. 

A  French  Protestant  refugee,  who  was  in  Boston  in  1687,  found 
eight  or  ten  Catholics,  three  of  whom  were  French,  the  others  Irish. 
None  were  permanently  settled,  however,  except  the  surgeon,  who 
was,  Dr.  Shea  thinks,  Dr.  Le  Baron. 

From  171 1— 13,  Father  Justinian  Durant,  one  of  the  priests  who 
had  tried  to  labor  among  the  oppressed  Acadians  in  Nova  Scotia, 
was  a  prisoner  in  Boston. 

In  1775,  when  Washington  took  command  of  the  American 
forces  at  Cambridge,  and  forbade  the  observance  of  "  Pope  day," 
there  were  evidently  a  few  Catholics  permanently  located  in  Boston, 
Charlestown,  and  the  towns  in  the  vicinity.  The  Abbe  Robin,  a 
French  priest,  was  in  Boston  in  1 78 1  ;  Father  Lacy,  an  Irish  priest, 
made  a  short  visit  to  Boston  about  the  same  year.  The  Tories  in 
Boston  tried  to  excite  anti-Catholic  prejudice  in  New  England  against 
the  American  cause,  on  account  of  the  alliance  of  Congress  with 
France,  and  in  their  journals  —  how  history  repeats  itself! — pub- 
lished imaginary  items,  dated  ten  years  ahead,  detailing  the  terrible 
things  which  would  happen  now  that  "  Popery  "  was  suffered  to  exist. 

In  1788  the  Boston  Catholics,  under  the  direction  of  Father  de 
la  Poterie,  a  priest  from  the  diocese  of  Aryen,  France,  acquired  a  site 
of  a  French  Huguenot  church  on  School  street,  and  erected  a  small 
brick  church,  under  the  title  of  the  Holy  Cross.  The  Archbishop  of 
Paris,  on  an  appeal  from  the  French  Catholics  in  Boston,  sent  to  the 
little  church  a  needed  outfit.  There  was,  however,  scant  spiritual 
comfort  for  the  Catholics  in  Boston  till  1790,  when  Bishop  Carroll 
sent  them  Father  John  Thayer,  a  native  of  Boston,  who  had  been 
converted  while  travelling  in  Europe,  received  into  the  church  in 
Rome  in  1783,  and  ordained  about  three  years  later.  When  he 
took  charge  of  his  Boston  flock  he  found  it  numbered  about  one 
hundred  —  French,  Irish,  and  Americans. 

Bishop  Carroll  visited  Boston  for  the  first  time  in  the  spring  of 
1 79 1,  to  heal  the  division  made  in  the  little  congregation  by  the  dis- 
edifying   French    priest,    Rousselet.     The    Bishop    was    courteously 


MOST    REV.    JOHN    J.    WILLIAMS., 

ARCHBISHOP    OF    BOSTON. 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH  IN  BOSTON.  125 

received  by  Bostonians  generally,  and,  having  been  invited  to  the 
annual  dinner  of  "  The  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Company," 
pronounced  the  thanksgiving  at  the  close  of  the  banquet. 

Catholic  growth  in  Boston  was  greatly  quickened  by  the  advent 
thither,  in  1792,  of  the  Rev.  Francis  A.  Matignon,  formerly  professor 
in  the  College  of  Navarre,  France,  and  experienced  among  English 
Catholics.  He  was  joined,  four  years  later,  by  his  friend  and  country- 
man, the  Rev.  John  Cheverus,  like  himself  a  refugee  from  the  French 
revolution.  These  two  priests,  by  their  exemplary  lives,  unwearied 
devotion  to  the  duties  of  their  office,  profound  learning,  kindliness, 
and  tact,  disarmed,  by  degrees,  the  prejudice  and  suspicion  with 
which  all  things  Catholic  were  regarded  in  Boston.  The  sermons  of 
Father  Cheverus  attracted  crowds  of  Protestants.  His  devotion  to  his 
fellow-citizens, — whose  nurse  and  spiritual  consoler  he  became,  with- 
out distinction  of  race  or  creed,  —  when  the  yellow-fever  scourge 
visited  Boston,  completed  his  victory. 

The  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  were  preparing  the  formula  of 
an  oath  to  be  taken  by  all  the  citizens  of  the  State  before  voting  at 
elections ;  but,  fearing  it  might  contain  something  objectionable  to 
the  Catholic  conscience,  they  submitted  it  to  Father  Cheverus, 
accepted  his  revision,  and  enacted  it  into  a  law. 

In  1799  the  Catholics  felt  the  need  of  a  new  church.  A  sub- 
scription list  was  opened,  which  John  Adams,  President  of  the  United 
States,  headed  with  a  generous  offering.  James  Bullfinch,  Esq.,  drew 
the  plans,  and  declined  remuneration  therefor.  On  St.  Patrick's  day, 
1800,  ground  was  broken  on  the  site  acquired  on  Franklin  street. 

The  same  year,  however,  witnessed  a  revival  of  the  old  anti- 
Catholic  spirit,  and  Father  Cheverus  was  prosecuted  by  Attorney- 
General  Sullivan  on  the  charge  that  he  had  violated  the  law,  which 
was  held  to  permit  his  ministrations  only  in  Boston,  by  marrying  two 
Catholics  in  Maine.  Judges  Bradbury  and  Strong  were  especially 
hostile  to  Father  Cheverus ;  but  Judge  Sewall,  grandfather,  we  be- 
lieve, of  Samuel  Sewall,  the  eminent  abolitionist,  lately  deceased,  was 
unprejudiced.  The  pillory  and  a  fine  were  threatened ;  Bradbury 
would  have  the  law  carried  out  to  the  letter ;   but  he  was  thrown  from 


126  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

his  horse  and  prevented  from  attending  court,  and  the  Attorney- 
General  was  absent  when  the  case  was  reached.  The  prosecution 
lapsed. 

In  1803  Bishop  Carroll  came  on  and  dedicated  the  Church  of 
the  Holy  Cross,  assisted  by  Doctors  Matignon  and  Cheverus.  The 
late  Hon.  E.  Hasket  Derby  presented  this  church  with  a  bell  from 
Spain.  His  son,  the  famous  oculist,  Dr.  Hasket  Derby,  became  a 
Catholic,  and  is  a  devoted  attendant  at  the  Cathedral.  The  bell  is  in 
the  mortuary  chapel  at  Holyhood. 

The  humble  and  unpromising  beginnings  of  the  Church  in 
Boston  have  been  dwelt  on  thus  minutely  only  for  the  sake  of  con- 
trast with  its  magnificent  development  of  to-day,  —  a  development 
which  sets  it  in  the  front  rank  of  American  Catholic  Sees,  —  second 
only  in  numerical  strength,  riches,  enterprise,  and  last,  but  far  from 
least,  steadfast  faith  and  loyalty  of  religious  spirit,  to  the  great  See  of 
New  York  itself. 

In  1808  Pope  Pius  VII.  erected  four  new  Episcopal  Sees  in  the 
United  States,  one  of  which  was  Boston,  with  Doctor  Cheverus  as 
first  bishop.  He  was  consecrated  in  Baltimore,  by  Archbishop 
Carroll,  Nov.  I,  1810.  Bishop  Cheverus  established  a  little  theolog- 
ical seminary  under  his  own  roof  for  candidates  for  the  priesthood, 
and  founded  an  Ursuline  Convent  in  Boston  for  the  education  of 
young  girls.  Boston's  second  Catholic  parish —  St.  Augustine's, 
South  Boston  —  was  created  by  Bishop  Cheverus.  In  1823  his  failing 
health  obliged  him  to  return  to  his  native  France,  where  he  became 
successively  Bishop  of  Montauban  and  Cardinal  Archbishop  of  Bor- 
deaux, dying  in  1836.  His  departure  from  Boston  was  mourned  as 
much  by  Protestants  as  by  Catholics.  A  Protestant  lady,  Mrs.  John 
Gore,  had  his  portrait  painted  by  Gilbert  Stuart.  This  portrait,  now 
the  property  of  Mrs.  Horatio  Greenough,  adorns  the  Boston  Art 
Museum.  During  his  administration  many  converts  were  received 
into  the  Church,  members  of  the  most  distinguished  New  England 
families. 

Bishop  Cheverus  was  succeeded  in  the  diocese  of  Boston  by  the 
Rt.   Rev.  Joseph  Benedict  Fenwick,  a  lineal  descendant  of  Cuthbert 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH   IN  BOSTON.  127 

Fenwick,  one  of  the  Catholic  pilgrims  who  helped  Lord  Baltimore  to 
found  the  colony  of  Maryland.  Irish  immigrants  poured  into  Boston 
during  his  episcopate,  and  the  Irish  priests  followed  their  people. 
Churches  and  schools  multiplied. 

Bishop  Fenwick's  first  care  in  Boston  was  to  remove  the 
Ursuline  nuns  from  their  crowded  and  unhealthy  quarters  in  the 
city  to  a  fine  estate  in  Charlestown.  He  next  enlarged  the  Cathedral 
by  an  addition,  seventy  by  forty.  Ample  space  was  afforded  in  the 
basement  for  school-rooms,  which  were  soon  filled  by  earnest  and 
intelligent  boys,  whose  studies  were  directed  by  the  ecclesiastical 
students  of  the  diocese.  At  this  time  Bishop  Fenwick  had  but  one 
priest  in  the  city  to  share  his  labors,  —  the  Rev.  P.  Byrne,  a  native 
of  Kilkenny,  Ireland.  He  came  to  thir  country  at  an  early  age,  and 
was  ordained  in  Boston,  by  Bishop  Cheverus,  in  1820.  With  the 
Rev.  Denis  Ryan,  also  a  native  of  Kilkenny,  and  ordained  for  the 
diocese  of  Boston  by  Bishop  Cheverus,  he  rendered  inestimable 
services  during  the  infancy  of  the  Church  in  New  England.  He 
was  the  pastor  of  St.  Mary's  Church,  Charlestown,  from  1830  till 
1843.  Later,  he  had  pastoral  charge  of  New  Bedford  and  the  island 
of  Nantucket.  He  died  Dec.  4,  1844,  and,  according  to  his  request, 
was  buried  in  St.  Augustine's  Cemetery,  South  Boston.  Father 
Ryan  labored  in  the  Maine  missions  of  the  vast  diocese,  and  his 
name  will  always  be  tenderly  associated  with  Catholic  beginnings  in 
Whitefield  and  Damariscotta. 

In  1827  Bishop  Fenwick  officiated  at  his  first  ordination,  the 
candidates  being  the  Revs.  James  Fitton  and  William  Wiley.  The 
former  spent  many  fruitful  years  as  a  missionary  among  the  Indians 
in  Maine,  and  later  built  up  the  church  in  East  Boston.  He  has  left 
valuable  records  of  Catholic  beginnings  and  growth  in  his  "  Sketches 
of  the  Establishment  of  the  Church  in  New  England." 

Under  Bishop  Fenwick's  administration  the  Church  of  St. 
Augustine,  South  Boston,  built  in  18 19  for  a  mortuary  chapel,  was 
enlarged  to  accommodate  the  Catholics,  who  were  growing  very 
numerous  in  its  neighborhood.  Its  successive  pastors  have  been  the 
Revs.  Thomas  Lynch,  1 833-1 836;  John  Mahony,  1836,  till  his  death, 


128  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

in  1839;  Michael  Lynch,  1839-40;  Terence  Fitzsimons,  1840-44. 
The  new  and  beautiful  St.  Augustine's  of  our  own  day  was  built  by 
the  Rev.  Denis  O'Callaghan,  who  became  its  first  pastor.  It  was 
dedicated  in  1874,  and  consecrated  in  1884.  Father  O'Callaghan  is 
of  Irish  birth,  but  resided  in  Boston  since  his  seventh  year  (1848). 
He  is  a  zealous  priest  and  a  well-known  advocate  of  the  legislative 
independence  of  his  native  land.  The  splendid  church,  free  of  debt, 
and  the  spacious  schools  under  way,  speak  more  eloquently  for  him 
and  his  people  than  a  volume  of  praising  words.  The  old  cemetery, 
in  which  the  pioneer  Catholics  of  Boston  are  buried,  is  a  shrine  of 
historic  interest  and  of  reverent  pilgrimage.  Among  the  graves  of 
the  pioneer  priests  we  find  that  of  the  Rev.  John  Mahony,  men- 
tioned above  among  the  pastors  of  St.  Augustine's.  He  was  born 
in  the  County  Kerry,  Ireland,  in  1781.  After  his  ordination  and 
advent  to  America  he  spent  six  years  on  the  Maryland  missions, 
eight  on  those  of  Virginia,  and  thirteen  in  the  Boston  diocese. 

In  1834  Bishop  Fenwick  founded  St.  Mary's  parish,  North  End, 
Boston.  The  church  was  entirely  completed  and  dedicated  May  22, 
1836.  The  following  priests  were  successively  in  charge :  the  Revs. 
William  Wiley,  P.  O'Beirne,  Michael  Healy,  Thomas  J.  O'Flaherty, 
John  B.  Fitzpatrick,  and  Patrick  Flood,  till  1847,  when  it  was  placed 
in  charge  of  the  Jesuits. 

In  1832  Bishop  Fenwick  introduced  into  Boston  the  Sisters  of 
Charity,  from  Emmittsburg,  Md.  The  "  foundation-sisters,"  as  we  may 
call  them,  were  the  famous  Sister  Anne  Alexis  and  her  companions, 
Sisters  Blandina  and  Loyola.  The  first-named  was  for  nearly  fifty 
years  a  noted  personage  in  Boston,  a  woman  of  attractive  personality, 
rare  culture,  and  great  executive  ability,  and  beloved  by  both  Cath- 
olics and  Protestants.  The  Sisters  of  Charity,  though  of  French 
institution,  were  founded  in  the  United  States  by  an  American  con- 
vert, Mrs.  Elizabeth  Seton,  and  have  attracted  an  immense  Irish- 
American  membership.  Their  late  Mother-General  for  the  United 
States  was  Mother  Mary  Euphemia  Blenkinsop,  a  native  of  Dublin, 
Ire.,  and  sister  to  the  present  rector  of  the  Church  of  SS.  Peter  and 
Paul,    South   Boston.     Her  successor  is   a  lady  of  Irish  ancestry,  — 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH   IN  BOSTON.  129 

Mother  Mariana  Flynn.  It  is  not  wholly  irrelevant  to  mention  here 
that  the  present  directress  of  the  famous  academy  of  the  Sisters  of 
Charity  at  Emmittsburg,  Sister  Lucia,  is  a  Boston  lady.  These 
sisters  have  now  under  their  charge  in  Boston :  St.  Vincent's  Orphan 
Asylum  for  Girls,  Camden  street ;  the  Home  for  Destitute  Catholic 
Children,  Harrison  avenue ;  St.  Mary's  Infant  Asylum,  in  the  Dor- 
chester District ;  and  the  Carney  Hospital,  South  Boston.  Among 
the  notable  benefactors  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  in  Boston  may  be 
named  Andrew  Carney,  who  founded  the  hospital  which  bears  his 
name,  and  gave  $12,000  to  the  St.  Vincent's  Orphanage;  and  the 
late  Daniel  Crowley,  a  most  liberal  contributor  to  all  their  works. 

Another  of  the  old  Boston  parishes  founded  by  Bishop  Fenwick 
was  St.  Patrick's,  Northampton  street,  in  1835.  So  active  and  virulent 
was  the  spirit  of  Know-nothingism  at  the  time  the  new  church  was 
building,  —  it  was  the  year  following  the  destruction  of  the  Ursuline 
Convent  in  Charlestown,  —  that  the  men  of  the  parish  took  turns  by 
night  in  guarding  the  walls.  The  church  was  completed,  however, 
without  trouble,  and  dedicated  Dec.  11,  1836.  The  Rev.  Thomas 
Lynch,  one  of  the  most  celebrated  of  the  old-time  Boston  priests, 
was  its  pastor  from  this  time  until  his  death,  in  1870. 

A  few  words  descriptive  of  Father  Tom,  of  whom  it  is  truly  said 
that  he  was  heroic  in  soul  and  body,  may  be  fitly  given  here  from  a 
recent  sketch  in  the  "  Pilot :  "  — 


He  was  born  in  Virginia,  County  Cavan,  in  1800.  Piety,  patriotism,  and  love 
of  learning  were  the  very  atmosphere  of  his  boyhood's  home.  His  own  father  was 
his  first  instructor  in  English  and  Latin,  and  also  in  the  grand  old  Gaelic  tongue. 
How  capable  and  successful  an  instructor  may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that  the  boy 
at  the  age  of  eleven  easily  translated  long  passages  from  Virgil  and  Horace  into 
Irish.  His  familiarity  with  the  Irish  language  was  of  the  greatest  service  to  him  in 
the  priesthood  years  later,  as  many  of  the  poor  Irish  immigrants  who  came  to  him 
in  Boston  for  aid  or  counsel  were  unversed  in  any  other  tongue. 

While  a  student  in  Maynooth,  he  volunteered  for  the  American  mission,  and 
came  to  this  country  in  1830.  He  stopped  in  Boston,  and  Bishop  Fenwick  was 
greatly  pleased  with  the  fervent  young  ecclesiastical  student.  He  continued  his 
studies  under  the  bishop's  direction,  teaching,  meanwhile,  in  the  school  attached  to 
the  Cathedral,  and  was  ordained  in  1833.     He  was  a  large,  strong,  and  strikingly 


130  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

handsome  man,  and  probably  the  best  classical  scholar  at  that  time  in  New  England. 
He  was  a  good  preacher,  and  diligent  in  devotion  to  the  severe  routine  work  of  his 
large  and  scattered  parish.  But  his  distinguished  characteristic —  the  grand 
passion  of  his  life  —  was  charity  for  the  poor.  At  the  time  of  the  Irish  famine  — 
'46,  '47,  '48  —  great  numbers  of  Irish  immigrants  arrived  in  Boston,  in  the  most 
destitute  condition.  To  Father  Tom  they  were  at  once  directed.  He  fed  them, 
clothed  them,  counselled  them.  They  slept  in  the  basement  of  the  church  till  other 
-shelter  could  be  procured  for  them  ;  or  until,  well  equipped  for  the  journey,  he  could 
start  them  on  their  way  to  the  manufacturing  towns  of  New  England  or  the 
prairies  of  the  Far  West.  He  always  had  a  store  of  boots  and  shoes  in  his  house, 
and  kept  many  hands  busy  making  up  clothes  for  the  immigrant  women  and  chil- 
dren. Not  until  the  Day  of  Judgment  will  it  be  known  what  a  multitude  of  souls 
owe  their  perseverance  in  the  faith,  and  their  eternal  salvation,  to  Father  Tom's 
unbounded  charity.  Nor  was  his  solicitude  for  the  resident  poor  less  minute  and 
comprehensive.  He  cared  little  for  splendid  buildings  ;  but  much  for  drawing  the 
hearts  of  the  worn-out  old  laborer,  the  poor  widow  or  orphan,  to  the  love  of  God, 
by  relieving  in  God's  name  their  material  sufferings.  The  needy  never  left  his 
house  with  empty  hands. 

A  nephew  of  Father  Lynch's,  the  Rev.  Hugh  P.  Smyth,  is  the 
present  rector  of  St.  Joseph's  Church,  Roxbury.  He  is  noted  as  a 
church-builder,  having  erected,  in  whole  or  part,  about  twenty-five 
churches  during  less  than  as  many  years  in  the  priesthood. 

The  successor  of  Father  Lynch  at  St.  Patrick's  was  the  Rev. 
Joseph  N.  Gallagher,  who  built  the  beautiful  new  church  on  Dudley 
street,  and  the  parochial  school,  so  well  conducted  by  Sisters  of 
Charity,  from  Halifax,  N.S.  Under  his  pastorate  the  church  cele- 
brated last  year  its  semi-centenary.  Cardinal  Gibbons,  Archbishop 
Williams,  all  the  bishops  of  the  New  England  province,  and  a  great 
number  of  priests,  attended  the  impressive  commemoration. 

The  parish  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  for  German  Catholics,  —  until 
very  recently  the  only  German  Catholic  parish  in  all  New  England,  — 
was  also  organized  under  Bishop  Fenwick's  administration,  and  so 
was  the  first  Catholic  parish  in  East  Boston.  Perhaps  the  greatest 
work  of  Bishop  Fenwick's  episcopate  was  the  founding  of  Holy 
Cross  College  of  the  Jesuits,  at  Worcester,  in  1843.  Its  first  presi- 
dent was  Father  "Tom"  Mulledy,  famous  in  old  Georgetown's 
annals. 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH  IN   BOSTON.  131 

Bishop  Fenwick  was  a  Jesuit  himself,  having  received  the  habit 
at  Georgetown  College,  D.C.,  with  his  brother,  Enoch  Fenwick,  and 
John  McElroy,  —  the  last  a  name  subsequently  so  dear  to  Boston 
Catholics,  —  immediately  on  the  restoration  of  the  Society  in  the 
United  States  in  1 806.  In  1 844  the  Rt.  Rev.  John  Bernard  Fitzpatrick 
was  made  Coadjutor  to  Bishop  Fenwick.  The  same  year  a  new  dio- 
cese—  Hartford,  then  comprising  the  States  of  Connecticut  and  Rhode 
Island  —  was  erected  in  New  England,  with  the  Rt.  Rev.  William 
Tyler,  D.D.,  as  its  first  Bishop.  Bishop  Fenwick  died  Aug.  11, 
1846.  We  quote  from  a  tender  eulogium  passed  upon  him  by  Dr. 
Brownson  :  "  It  will  be  long  before  we  look  upon  his  like  again  ;  but  he 
has  been  ours ;  he  has  left  his  light  along  our  pathway ;  he  has  blessed 
us  all  by  his  pure  example  and  his  labor  of  love,  and  we  are  thank- 
ful." In  the  diocese,  which  had  but  two  churches  and  two  priests  at 
his  coming,  he  left  fifty  churches  and  as  many  priests,  a  college,  an 
orphanage,  and  numerous  schools.  He  was  buried,  as  he  desired,  at 
his  beloved  Worcester  College. 

We  have  not  touched  on  the  great  sorrow  of  Bishop  Fenwick's 
life,  the  Know-nothing  uprising  and  the  destruction  of  the  Ursuline 
Convent  at  Charlestown,  which  are  treated  of  fully  elsewhere  in  this 
volume. 

Let  us  pass  now  to  one  of  the  brightest  pages  of  the  history  of 
the  Church  in  New  England,  and  to  perhaps  the  dearest  name  in  her 
annals,  John  Bernard  Fitzpatrick. 

He  was  born  in  Boston,  of  Irish  parents,  Nov.  1,  1812.  His 
family  were  prominent  members  of  the  Cathedral  parish,  and  Bishop 
Cheverus  and  Father  Matignon  were  present  at  his  christening. 
He  made  his  first  studies  at  the  Adams  and  Boylston  Schools, 
winning  the  Franklin  medals  at  the  public  exhibitions  of  each.  In 
1826  he  entered  the  Boston  Latin  School,  and  through  his 
exemplary  conduct,  talents,  and  application  became  a  favorite  with 
masters  and  pupils.  In  a  poem  for  the  reunion,  in  1885,  of  an  old 
class  of  the  Latin  School,  Dr.  T.  W.  Parsons,  who  had  been  his 
fellow-student,  grows  tenderly  reminiscent  of  "  blessed  John  Fitz- 
patrick."    His  vocation  early  manifested   itself,  to  the   great  delight 


132  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

of  Bishop  Fenwick,  and  in  1829  he  entered  the  Montreal  College, 
completing,  1837,  with  immense  success  and  brilliancy,  his  eight 
years'  course. 

Young  Fitzpatrick,  on  his  return  to  Boston,  was  the  recipient  of 
many  distinguished  attentions.  George  F.  Haskins,  then  a  Protestant, 
and  an  Overseer  of  the  Poor  for  the  city  of  Boston,  later  a  convert 
to  the  Faith,  a  priest,  and  the  founder  of  the  House  of  the  Angel 
Guardian,  Roxbury,  is  quoted  by  Dr.  R.  H.  Clarke,  in  his  "  Deceased 
Bishops  of  the  United  States,"  in  an  interesting  sketch  of  the  young 
Catholic  student's  reception  at  the  annual  school  dinner  in  Faneuil 
Hall,  Aug.  24,  1837.  Among  the  guests  were  the  Hon.  Edward 
Everett,  then  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth ;  Hon.  Samuel  A.  Eliot, 
Mayor  of  the  city;  President  Quincy,  of  Harvard  University;  and 
Adjutant-General  Dearborn.  Major  Benjamin  Russell  introduced 
Mr.  Fitzpatrick  in  a  most  flattering  speech.  The  response  of  the 
young  man  thus  distinguished  was,  as  Father  Haskins  tells  us,  modest, 
manly,  dignified,  and  graceful.  It  was  frequently  interrupted  by 
applause.  The  following  month  he  went  to  the  Seminary  of  St. 
Sulpice,  Paris,  where  he  was  the  only  American  student.  His  genius 
and  virtue  made  him  the  subject  of  admiring  interest.  Says  Dr. 
Clarke :  "  The  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  De  Goesbriand,  Bishop  of  Burlington, 
Vt,  who  was  one  of  his  companions  at  St.  Sulpice,  has  stated  that 
the  venerable  Superior  of  the  Sulpicians  then  predicted  that  young 
Fitzpatrick  would  one  day  rise  to  a  high  position  in  the  Church  of 
God,  and  become  an  ornament  to  its  hierarchy."  The  prediction 
was  speedily  fulfilled. 

He  was  ordained  priest  June  13,  1840.  In  November  of  the 
same  year  he  returned  to  Boston.  His  first  mission  —  an  arduous 
one  —  was  at  the  Cathedral.  He  was  at  the  same  time  assistant 
pastor  of  St.  Mary's,  North  End.  In  September,  1843,  he  was  ap- 
pointed pastor  of  the  just-completed  St.  John's  Church,  East  Cam- 
bridge. In  1844,  being  then  only  in  his  thirty-second  year,  he  was 
made  Coadjutor-bishop  of  Boston, —  Rome  concurring  in  Bishop  Fen- 
wick's  own  choice.  His  consecration  took  place  in  the  chapel  of  the 
Monastery  of  the  Visitation  Nuns,   Georgetown,  D.C.,  on  Sunday, 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH  IN   BOSTON.  133 

March  4,  1844.  Bishop  Fenwick  was  consecrator;  Bishop  Whelan, 
then  of  Richmond,  Va.,  and  Bishop  Tyler,  of  Hartford,  Conn., 
assistant  consecrators.  He  at  once  relieved  Bishop  Fenwick  of  the 
more  laborious  duties  of  his  office;  and  no  priest  outrivalled  the 
young  Coadjutor-bishop  in  his  devotion  to  the  Cathedral  parish  work. 
His  sermons  attracted  vast  congregations,  which  always  included 
many  Protestants. 

It  has  been  noticed  that  while  the  Church  in  Boston  was  poor 
and  a  stranger,  it  drew  within  its  shelter  so  many  men  and  women  of 
personal  distinction  or  of  old  and  eminent  families.  After  the  Rev. 
John  Thayer  came  Orestes  A.  Brownson,  the  Rev.  George  F.  Has- 
kins  (already  referred  to),  the  Rev.  Joseph  Coolidge  Shaw  and  the 
Rev.  Edward  H.  Welch  (these  two  became  Jesuits),  Captain 
Chandler,  besides  representatives  of  the  Dwights,  Carys,  Danas, 
Metcalfs,  Lymans,  Warrens,  etc.  One  day  in  August,  1844,  Bishop 
Fitzpatrick  confirmed  sixty  persons,  nearly  half  of  whom  were  native 
converts. 

In  1846  Bishop  Fenwick  died,  and  the  whole  responsibility 
of  the  great  diocese  fell  upon  the  young  Coadjutor.  At  this  time 
Bishop  Fitzpatrick  had  these  priests  to  assist  him  in  Boston :  at  the 
Cathedral,  the  Revs.  P.  F,  Lyndon,  Ambrose  Manahan,  D.D.,  and 
John  J.  Williams, — the  last  named  now  the  revered  Archbishop  of 
Boston;  at  St.  Mary's,  the  Revs.  P.  Flood  and  James  O'Reilly;  at 
SS.  Peter  and  Paul's,  South  Boston,  the  Rev.  Terence  Fitzsimons; 
at  St.  Patrick's,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Lynch ;  at  St.  John  the  Baptist,  the 
Rev.  George  F.  Haskins ;  at  the  Holy  Trinity,  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Martin,  O.S.F. ;  at  St.  Nicholas,  the  Rev.  Nicholas  O'Brien ;  at 
Roxbury,  the  Rev.  P.  O'Beirne.  St.  Augustine's,  South  Boston,  was 
vacant ;  and  the  church  in  Charlestown,  which  was  not  then  within 
the  city  limits,  was  served  by  a  convert  priest,  the  Rev.  George  J. 
Goodwin,  who  was  assisted  by  the  Rev.  M.  M'Grath. 

In  October,  1847,  at  the  invitation  of  Bishop  Fitzpatrick,  Jesuit 
Fathers,  headed  by  the  Rev.  John  McElroy,  S.J.,  took  charge  of  St. 
Mary's  parish,  North  End.  Father  McElroy  was  born  in  Enniskillen, 
Ireland,   in   1782,  and   came  to  America   in    1803.      He  became  a 


134  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

Jesuit,  studied  for  the  priesthood  at  Georgetown  College,  D.C.,  was 
ordained  there  in  1817,  and  at  one  time  held  the  responsible  office  of 
procurator  of  that  institution.  He  was  chaplain  in  the  United  States 
Army  during  the  Mexican  War,  and  was  greatly  beloved  by  the  sol- 
diers. Settled  in  Boston,  he  took  early  thought  for  the  educational 
needs  of  his  parish,  opened  a  parochial  school  for  girls,  and  brought 
on  a  colony  of  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame,  from  their  mother-house  in 
Cincinnati,  to  take  charge  of  it. 

The  Sisterhood  of  Notre  Dame  is  one  of  the  numerous  com- 
munities of  women  which  sprang  up  in  France  soon  after  the  Revo- 
lution. Founded  at  Amiens  in  1805,  by  Mother  Julie  Billiart,  its 
present  seat  of  government  is  at  Namur,  Belgium.  The  community 
is  devoted  exclusively  to  teaching.  It  has  had  an  enormous  devel- 
opment in  the  United  States,  most  of  all,  perhaps,  in  New  England. 
Besides  the  well-known  academies  of  Notre  Dame,  Berkeley  street, 
and  Notre  Dame,  Roxbury,  where  a  second  generation  of  Boston's 
Catholic  young  womanhood  is  receiving  a  liberal  education,  the 
parochial  schools  under  these  Sisters'  care,  in  the  city  and  its  neigh- 
borhood, have  now  a  pupilage  not  far  short  of  ten  thousand.  So 
rapid  and  vigorous  was  the  growth  of  the  Sisterhood  of  Notre 
Dame  in  these  parts,  and  so  numerous  the  applications  of  New  Eng- 
land girls  for  admission  to  it,  that  it  became  necessary  to  open  a 
novitiate  here,  which  is  now  attached  to  the  academy  on  Berkeley 
street.  The  present  Provincial  of  the  Sisterhood,  Superior  Julia, 
makes  this  house  her  headquarters  during  six  months  of  every  year, 
while  she  is  visiting  the  numerous  convents  in  her  charge  in  New 
England.  This  lady  is  of  Irish  parentage,  as  are  also  an  immense 
number  of  the  religious  whom  she  governs,  and  was  the  first  pupil 
of  the  Academy  of  Notre  Dame  in  Cincinnati. 

Father  McElroy  was  succeeded  at  St.  Mary's  by  the  well-re- 
membered Father  Wiget,  who  founded  the  boys'  school,  and  the  first 
sodalities  in  the  city  for  young  and  old  men.  After  him  came,  suc- 
cessively, Father  Bannister,  Father  Brady,  Father  O'Kane,  then 
Father  Brady  again,  with  orders  to  build  a  new  church.  The  work 
was  well  under  way  when,  in  1877,  Father  Brady  was  appointed  Pro- 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH   IN  BOSTON.  135 

vincial  of  the  New  York-Maryland  Province  of  the  Jesuits ;  and  the 
Rev.  William  H.  Duncan,  SJ.,took  his  place  as  pastor  of  St.  Mary's. 
Father  Duncan  completed  the  new  church,  a  large  and  splendid 
edifice,  which  cost  about  $250,000;  the  pastoral  residence;  the  new 
schools,  which  now  have  an  average  attendance  of  fifteen  hundred 
boys  and  girls ;  and  the  parochial  hall.  One  incident  will  suffi- 
ciently indicate  the  spirit  of  the  congregation.  Over  twenty-two 
hundred  young  men,  largely  of  the  working  people,  followed  the 
exercises  of  a  retreat  recently  given  in  St.  Mary's. 

Father  McElroy's  greatest  work  for  Catholic  education  was  the 
founding  of  Boston  College.  He  built,  also,  the  beautiful  granite 
Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  on  Harrison  avenue.  The 
college  started  in  i860,  and  was  incorporated  in  1863,  with  power 
"  to  confer  such  degrees  as  are  usually  conferred  by  colleges  in  the 
Commonwealth,  except  medical  degrees."  Names  prominently  asso- 
ciated with  Boston  College  are  those  of  the  late  Father  John  Bapst, 
S.J.,  and  Father  Robert  Fulton,  S.J.  The  story  of  Father  Bapst  and 
the  "Ellsworth  Outrage,"  in  1854,  are  doubtless  well  known  to  all  our 
readers,  and  do  not,  moreover,  come  properly  within  the  scope  of 
this  sketch.  An  extended  sketch  of  Father  Fulton  is  given  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.  His  successor  in  the  presidency  of  Boston  College, 
in  1 88 1,  was  the  Rev.  Jeremiah  J.  O'Connor,  S.J.,  now  rector  of  St. 
Lawrence's  Church,  New  York  City.  Then  came  the  Rev.  Edward 
V.  Boursaud,  S.J.,  now  English  secretary  to  the  General  of  the  Jesuits 
in  Rome ;  then  the  lamented  Father  Robert  S.  Stack,  S.J.,  who  died 
during  his  first  month  in  office;  then  the  Rev.  Nicholas  Russo,  S.J., 
now  at  St.  Francis  Xavier's,  New  York.  The  college  has  begun  its 
second  quarter  of  a  century,  with  Father  Fulton  again  at  its  head. 
Work  has  already  begun  on  a  large  addition  to  the  college  proper,  a 
building  for  the  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association  of  Boston  College 
(founded  in  1875  by  Father  Fulton),  and  a  Catholic  High  School, 
which  will  be  open  to  boys  who  have  completed  their  course  in 
schools  of  the  parochial  or  grammar  school  grade.  The  venerable 
founder  of  Boston  College,  Father  John  McElroy,  died  Sept.  12, 
1877,  at  the  great  age  of  ninety-six  years. 


136  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

But  we  must  return  and  revert  briefly  to  other  events  in  the 
episcopate  of  Bishop  Fitzpatrick.  He  dedicated  the  German  Church 
of  the  Holy  Trinity,  Oct.  25,  1846,  and  placed  it  in  charge  of  a 
Franciscan  Father,  the  Rev.  Alexander  Martin.  The  parish  subse- 
quently was  given  in  care  to  the  Jesuits,  who  built  the  present  fine 
church  and  schools  on  Shawmut  avenue. 

The  establishment  of  the  Church  in  East  Boston,  though  begun 
in  the  last  years  of  Bishop  Fenwick's  lifetime,  may  properly  be 
adverted  to  here.  Soon  after  the  formation  of  the  East  Boston 
Company,  in  1833,  Irish  Catholics  began  to  settle  on  the  island. 
The  names  of  Mr.  Daniel  Crowley,  Messrs.  McManus,  Cummiskey, 
Lavery,  etc.,  are  among  the  first  of  the  permanent  householders. 
In  1844  the  Catholics  bought  the  meeting-hoube  of  the  Maverick 
Congregational  Society.  It  was  remodelled  for  Catholic  use,  and 
dedicated  under  the  patronage  of  St.  Nicholas,  the  Rev.  Nicholas  J. 
A.  O'Brien  being  its  first  pastor.  He  was  replaced  in  1847  by  the 
Rev.  Charles  McCallion  ;  and  he,  in  185 1,  by  the  Rev.  William  Wiley, 
who,  dying  in  1855,  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  James  Fitton. 
Father  Wiley,  a  few  months  before  his  death,  projected  the  present 
beautiful  parish  church,  which  was  built  by  his  successor,  and  dedi- 
cated as  the  Church  of  the  Most  Holy  Redeemer. 

Father  Fitton  was  born  in  Boston  in  1803.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Lancashire,  Eng.,  his  mother  a  native  of  Wales,  and  both 
were  members  of  the  first  Catholic  congregation  in  Boston.  He 
began  his  education  in  the  parochial  school  established  by  Dr. 
Matignon.  Before  his  ordination  he  was  a  teacher  in  the  seminary 
attached  to  the  old  Cathedral  on  Franklin  street,  and  the  present 
Archbishop  of  Boston,  the  Most  Rev.  John  J.  Williams,  was  one  of 
his  pupils.  He  was  ordained  by  Bishop  Fenwick,  Dec.  23,  1827. 
In  1828  he  was  missioned  to  the  Passamaquoddy  Indians  in  Maine, 
and  exercised  among  them  with  great  fruit  the  twofold  office  of 
priest  and  teacher.  The  following  year  he  had  also  charge  of  the 
scattered  Catholics  of  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont.  In  1830  he 
had  charge  of  the  mission  extending  from  Boston  to  Long  Island, 
N.Y.,  with   Hartford,   Conn.,   as  a  central   point.      In  Hartford  he 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH  IN  BOSTON.  137 

founded  and  personally  conducted  the  first  Catholic  newspaper  in 
the  United  States,  the  "Catholic  Press,"  and  made  about  eighty 
converts.  In  1832  he  purchased  the  property  on  Mt.  St.  James, 
Worcester,  Mass.,  and  established  a  school,  which  subsequently  de- 
veloped into  the  College  of  the  Holy  Cross.  After  notable  services  on 
the  missions  of  Rhode  Island  and  Western  Massachusetts,  he  was  sent 
to  East  Boston,  in  1855.  Some  faint  idea  of  his  missionary  labors 
may  be  gathered  from  his  "  Sketches,"  already  referred  to ;  but  he 
keeps  himself  so  well  out  of  sight,  that  in  reading  the  beginnings  of 
Catholicity  in  New  England  one  hardly  realizes  that  the  writer  is  often 
of  necessity  chronicling  his  own  life  and  labors.  In  East  Boston  he 
founded  four  parishes, — the  Most  Holy  Redeemer,  St.  Mary's,  Star  of 
the  Sea,  the  Sacred  Heart  and  the  Assumption  ;  also,  as  early  as  1858, 
a  fine  school  for  girls,  under  the  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame.  His  last 
work  was  the  establishment,  in  his  own  parish,  the  Holy  Redeemer, 
of  a  society  for  young  men,  now  properly  known  as  the  Fitton  Insti- 
tute. Father  Fitton  celebrated  the  golden  jubilee  of  his  priesthood 
Dec.  23,  1877.  The  day  was  kept  with  great  honor  in  his  own 
parish,  and  was  made  the  subject  of  a  splendid  religious  celebration 
in  the  Cathedral  the  following  week,  in  which  the  Archbishop  and 
all  the  priests  of  the  diocese  joined.  Father  Fitton  died  Sept.  15, 
1881.    * 

The  limitations  of  space  forbid  more  than  a  brief  advertence  to 
the  celebrated  school  controversy  of  1859.  Rules  had  been  made 
in  the  public  schools  —  though  these  were  then,  as  now,  professedly 
non-sectarian  —  enforcing  on  all  the  children  the  use  of  the  Protestant 
version  of  the  Bible,  the  reciting  of  the  Ten  Commandments  in  their 
Protestant  form,  the  chanting  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  its  Protestant 
form,  and  other  religious  chants  in  unison.  A  Catholic  boy  was 
severely  punished  in  the  Eliot  School  for  his  conscientious  refusal 
to  obey  these  rules ;  several  hundred  of  his  comrades  joined  him 
in  open  resistance,  and  a  season  of  intense,  angry,  and  illogical 
excitement  against  all  things  Catholic  pervaded  Boston.  The  boys 
were  suspended,  and  their  parents  notified  that  the  indispensable 
condition  of  reinstatement  was  conformity  to  the  objectionable  rules. 


138  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

Moreover,  they  would,  by  staying  out  of  school,  be  liable  to  arrest 
and  imprisonment  for  truancy.  In  the  latter  case  they  would  be  sent 
to  the  city  penitentiary,  where  they  would  be  wholly  at  the  mercy  of 
the  officers  and  teachers,  who  were  all  Protestants,  and  known  to  be 
of  a  proselytizing  spirit.  Bishop  Fitzpatrick,  to  avoid  the  worse  evil, 
advised  the  parents  to  direct  the  boys  to  submit,  under  protest,  while 
he  addressed  a  temperate  and  courteous  letter  to  the  School  Board, 
wherein  he  set  forth  clearly  why  Catholics  could  not  in  conscience 
obey  said  rules,  and  made  so  manly  and  forcible  an  appeal  for  the 
citizen-rights  of  Catholics  in  the  schools  that  he  pierced  through  the 
prejudices  to  the  reason  of  the  Board ;  the  obnoxious  rules  were 
repealed ;  and  within  the  year,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of 
Boston,  a  Catholic  priest  and  several  Catholic  laymen  were  elected 
members  of  the  School  Board. 

Hard  work  and  heavy  cares  now  began  to  tell  on  Bishop  Fitz- 
patrick. He  never  had  a  secretary  till  1855,  nor  a  Vicar-General 
till  1857.  No  wonder  that  with  the  almost  incredible  increase  of  the 
Catholic  population  of  New  England,  and  the  corresponding  mul- 
tiplication of  churches,  schools,  and  beneficent  institutions,  the 
strength  of  the  overworked  bishop  waned,  and  that  hardly  had  he 
reached  his  prime  till  his  end  was  in  sight.  Though  at  his  petition 
before  the  National  Council  in  Baltimore,  in  1853,  his  diocese  was 
again  subdivided  and  the  new  Sees  of  Burlington,  Vt,  and  Portland, 
Me.,  erected;  still,  at  his  death,  in  1866,  he  left  in  the  diocese  of 
Boston,  then  comprising  the  State  of  Massachusetts  over  a  hundred 
priests  and  as  many  churches,  to  say  nothing  of  schools  and  chari- 
table institutions. 

In  1854  Bishop  Fitzpatrick  had  paid  his  regular  ad  limina  visit 
to  Rome.  He  was  then  in  the  very  bloom  of  manly  beauty  and 
strength.  Ten  years  later  he  went  abroad  again ;  this  time  in  a  vain 
search  for  health.  He  always  dearly  loved  the  land  of  his  ancestry ; 
and  while  in  Brussels,  having  heard  of  the  sufferings  of  the  Irish 
people,  he  wrote  from  his  sick-bed  an  urgent  entreaty  to  his  Boston 
flock  to  send  help  to  Ireland.  Needless  to  state  that  his  appeal 
brought  out  a  generous  response. 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH  IN  BOSTON.  139 

But  Bishop  Fitzpatrick  was  first  of  all  an  American.  His  fer- 
vent patriotism  was  known  and  honored  of  all  men.  From  an  ap- 
preciative tribute  by  a  non-Catholic  pen  in  the  Boston  "  Gazette  "  we 
glean  the  following :  — 

When  the  news  came  of  the  firing  on  Sumter,  though  a  sick  man,  —  he  died 
five  years  after,  —  he  was  the  first  to  order  that  all  the  churches  be  kept  open  for 
prayers  for  the  Union.  A  gentleman  tells  me  that  during  the  first  preparations  for 
war,  when  people  were  talking  of  three-months'  enlistments,  as  the  war  would  surely 
be  over  before  that,  the  Bishop  said  to  him  :  "Urge  people  to  make  no  such  hasty 
calculations  ;  this  thing  has  been  long  maturing ;  they  have  more  ammunition  than 
we  realize,  and  they  have  the  advantage  of  territory  and  intense  homogeneous  in- 
terests. We  will  be  lucky  to  see  it  ended  in  five  years-;  "  —  a  bit  of  prescience  that 
turned  out  almost  exact. 

Sincerity,  firmness,  patience,  and  faith  were  the  strong  points  in 
this  great  bishop's  character.  Of  his  faith,  the  Rev.  George  F. 
Haskins  said  that  it  was  not  only  strong,  but  simple  and  reliant. 
"  Hence,"  continued  Father  Haskins,  "  his  solicitude  in  supplying- 
the  spiritual  wants  of  his  vast  flock  by  sending  them  learned  andi 
good  priests.  Hence  his  earnest  instructions  to  erect  large  and  com- 
modious rather  than  ornamental  and  costly  churches.  Hence  his- 
deep  concern  for  the  training  of  little  children ;  his  zeal  in  visiting- 
personally  every  church  and  congregation,  as  long  and  as-  often  as-- 
his  health  permitted ;  his  kind  and  considerate  bearing  towards 
Protestants  of  whatever  sect;  his  uniform  affability,  that  made  all 
men,  even  the  humblest,  regard  him  as  a  friend." 

Some  years  before  his  death,  Bishop  Fitzpatrick  had  fixed  his 
desire  on  the  Rev.  John  J.  Williams,  then  pastor  of  St.  James'  Church, 
Boston,  as  his  successor  in  the  episcopate ;  and  it  was  one  of  the 
great  joys  of  his  fading  days  when  he  learned  that  Pope  Pius  IX. 
had  ratified  his  choice.  Bishop  Fitzpatrick  died  Feb.  13,  1866. 
All  Boston  united  in  mourning  his  loss  and  honoring  his  memory. 
As  his  body  was  carried  to  the  Cathedral,  and  again  during  the 
funeral,  the  bells  of  the  city  were  tolled  by  order  of  the  mayor. 
Ten  bishops,  one  hundred  and  forty  priests,  the  Governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts, the  Mayor  of  Boston,  State  and  city  officials,  political  and 


140  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

literary  celebrities,  and  a  concourse  of  people  of  every  form  of  belief, 
attended  the  funeral  of  the  beloved  bishop. 

Bishop  Williams  was  consecrated  at  St.  James'  Church,  of  which 
he  had  been  rector,  March  n,  1866,  and  went  to  reside  at  the 
Cathedral  house  on  April  2  following.  He  was  succeeded  at  St. 
James'  by  the  Rev.  James  A.  Healy.  The  Rev.  William  Byrne,  now 
Vicar-General  and  rector  of  St.  Joseph's,  West  End,  Boston,  was  made 
Chancellor  of  the  diocese.  In  the  same  year  the  Rev.  Thomas  Ma- 
gennis,  now  rector  of  the  Church  of  St.  Thomas,  Jamaica  Plain,  was 
ordained. 

Bishop  Williams  gave  early  attention  to  a  work  which  had  been 
very  near  the  heart  of  his  predecessor,  —  the  building  of  the  new 
Cathedral.  The  old  Cathedral  lands  on  Franklin  street  had  been 
transferred  to  Mr.  Isaac  Rich,  in  1859.  On  Sunday,  Sept.  16,  i860, 
Mass  was  celebrated  for  the  last  time  in  the  venerable  old  building, 
reminiscent  of  the  apostolate  of  a  Matignon,  a  Cheverus,  and  a 
Fenwick.  The  site  of  the  present  Cathedral  was  acquired  in  two 
parcels,  in  October,  i860,  and  January,  1861.  Ground  was  broken 
for  the  foundations  April  27,  1866,  and  Bishop  Williams  laid 
the  corner-stone  June  25  following.  Meantime  the  congregation 
worshipped  in  the  Castle-street  Church,  bought  from  Harvard  Col- 
lege in  1861,  and  dedicated  the  same  year  as  a  Pro-Cathedral.  Mass 
is  still  celebrated  in  this  church  on  Sundays,  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  people  in  its  vicinity.  The  grand  new  Cathedral  was  dedicated 
Dec.  8,  1875.  Archbishop  Williams — Boston  had  been  made  a 
Metropolitan  See  early  in  the  year  —  officiated.  Bishop  Lynch,  of 
Charleston,  S.C.,  preached.  This  Cathedral  is  unsurpassed  for  size 
and  beauty  in  the  United  States,  except  by  the  Cathedral  of  New 
York  City. 

In  1867  the  Nuns  of  the  Good  Shepherd  —  an  order  devoted 
to  the  reformation  of  fallen  women  —  made  their  first  establishment 
in  Boston.  They  have  now  a  splendid  brick  convent  on  Tremont 
street,  near  Brookline,  and  in  the  twenty-two  years  of  their  existence 
here  have  reclaimed,  or  preserved  from  danger,  about  four  thousand 
young  women.     The  Boston  house  was  erected  into  a  mother-house 


THE    CATHOLIC   CHURCH  IN  BOSTON.  141 

about  two  years  ago,  and  the  new  convent  and  chapel  dedicated 
with  imposing  ceremonies.  Several  young  ladies  have  since  taken 
the  veil  here.  A  Magdalen  convent  has  also  been  opened  within  the 
same  enclosure ;  and  here  the  penitent  who  desires  to  become  a  nun 
may  enter,  for  no  penitent,  however  thoroughly  reformed,  can  be 
received  into  the  order  of  the  Good  Shepherd.  The  whole  institu- 
tion is  now  under  the  charge  of  Mother  Mary  of  St.  Aloysius.  She 
is  aided  by  about  sixty  nuns,  who  have  under  their  charge  close  on 
three  hundred  penitents  and  children  of  the  preservation  classes.  The 
house  is  maintained  by  the  labor  of  the  inmates  and  the  offerings  of 
the  charitable. 

In  1870  the  Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor  made  their  first  foundation 
in  Boston.  This  community,  one  of  the  youngest  in  the  Church,  is 
of  French  origin,  and  is  devoted  to  the  aged  poor  of  both  sexes, 
without  distinction  of  race  or  creed.  They  have  now  a  large  house 
on  Dudley  street,  in  which  over  two  hundred  old  people  are  cared 
for.  About  six  years  ago  they  opened  another  house  in  Charles- 
town,  and  are  preparing  to  found  still  another  in  Somerville,  Mass. 

The  Rev.  T.  Magennis,  appointed  in  1869  rector  of  the  new 
parish  of  St.  Thomas,  Jamaica  Plain,  founded  schools  for  boys  and 
girls,  directly  his  church  was  completed,  and  in  1873  brought  on 
as  teachers,  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph,  from  Flushing,  L.I.  These 
Sisters  were  later  given  the  parochial  schools  of  the  Gate  of  Heaven 
parish,  South  Boston,  by  the  rector,  the  Rev.  M.  F.  Higgins,  and 
have  also  flourishing  schools  in  Stoughton,  Amesbury,  and  Haverhill. 
Their  novitiate  was  transferred  a  few  years  ago  from  Jamaica  Plain  to 
Fresh  Pond,  Cambridge.  The  buildings  on  this  erstwhile  well-known 
pleasure  resort  have  been  adapted  to  conventual  and  academic  pur- 
poses, and  the  place  is  known  as  Mt.  St.  Joseph's.  The  Sisterhood  of 
St.  Joseph  was  introduced  into  the  United  States  from  France  in  1836, 
and  is  now  numerically  the  strongest  of  all  the  communities  of 
women  in  this  country.  It  had,  at  latest  estimates,  a  membership  of 
2,213,  with  58,553  pupils  in  its  academies  and  parochial  schools. 

In  1873  the  Italians  and  Portuguese  resident  in  the  North  End 
were  organized   into  a  congregation,  and  a  small  Baptist  meeting- 


142  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

house,  on  North  Bennet  street,  bought,  remodelled  for  Catholic  use, 
and  dedicated  under  the  patronage  of  St.  John  the  Baptist.  This  is 
now  used  by  the  Portuguese  alone.  They  are  under  the  pastoral 
charge  of  the  Rev.  N.  Serpa.  His  predecessor,  the  Rev.  Henry  B. 
M.  Hughes,  missionary  apostolic,  established  a  parochial  school  for 
boys  and  girls,  and  placed  it  in  charge  of  the  Sisters  of  the  Third 
Order  of  St.  Dominic.  Father  Hughes  was  a  Welsh  convert,  a  man 
of  great  missionary  enterprise  and  extraordinary  linguistic  attain- 
ments. He  died  in  his  native  land,  whither  he  had  been  missioned, 
about  two  years  ago. 

The  rapidly  increasing  Italians  were  placed  under  the  pastoral 
charge  of  the  Franciscan  Fathers,  Father  Boniface,  now  Provincial  of 
the  New  York  and  New  England  Province,  being  at  the  head  of  the 
mission.  The  first  Italian  chapel  bears  the  name  of  St.  Leonard  of 
Port  Maurice.  Another  congregation  has  recently  been  organized 
by  Father  Francis  Tzaboglio,  general  secretary  of  the  Missionary 
Society  for  Italian  Immigrants,  with  its  chapel  on  Beverly  street. 
Father  Paroli,  of  the  same  society,  is  in  charge  of  it. 

In  April,  1875,  the  Rev.  James  A.  Healy,  pastor  of  St.  James' 
Church,  Boston,  was  made  Bishop  of  Portland,  Me.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  brother,  the  gifted  and  beloved  Father  Sherwood 
Healy,  who  died  the  same  year.  An  interesting  fact  in  connection 
with  St.  James'  parish  is  that  since  its  creation,  in  1852,  three  of  its 
pastors  have  become  bishops ;  the  third  to  be  chosen  for  this  dignity 
being  the  Rt.  Rev.  Matthew  Harkins,  who,  in  1887,  succeeded  the 
late  Bishop  Hendricken  in  the  diocese  of  Providence,  R.I.  During 
the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Shahan,  now  at  Arlington,  Mass., 
schools  were  begun  in  this  parish,  —  a  work  which  the  present  rector, 
the  Rev.  W.  P.  McQuaid,  is  perfecting. 

Pope  Pius  IX.  erected  Boston  into  an  archdiocese  in  1875,  with 
Springfield,  Mass.,  Hartford,  Conn.,  Providence,  R.I.,  Portland,  Me., 
and  Burlington,  Vt.  (the  diocese  of  Manchester,  N.H.,  was  not 
established  till  1884),  as  Suffragan  Sees.  The  pallium  was  conferred 
on  Archbishop  Williams  May  2,  1875,  by  Cardinal  M'Closkey,  Arch- 
bishop of  New  York.     Bishop  McNeirney,  of  Albany,  celebrated  the 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH   IN   BOSTON.  143 

Mass ;  Bishop  De  Goesbriand,  of  Burlington,  preached.  All  the 
bishops  of  New  York  and  New  England  were  present,  with  a  multi- 
tude of  priests,  and  the  since  celebrated  Sanctuary  Choir  of  the 
Cathedral  —  trained  by  Mile.  Gabrielle  de  la  Motte  —  made  its  first 
appearance. 

This  year  is  also  memorable  for  the  passage  of  a  bill  in  the 
Massachusetts  Legislature,  through  the  efforts  of  Senator  Flatley  and 
others,  by  which  freedom  of  worship  was  guaranteed  to  the  Catholic 
inmates  of  the  penal,  reformatory,  and  charitable  institutions  of  the 
city.  The  first  Catholic  religious  service  was  held  in  the  chapel  of 
the  State  Prison,  Charlestown,  on  June  6,  1875,  the  Rev.  William 
Byrne,  pastor  of  St.  Mary's,  Charlestown,  officiating. 

Another  notable  event  of  the  year  was  the  religious  and  patri- 
otic celebration  of  the  centenary  of  Daniel  O'Connell,  August  6,  the 
Rev.  Robert  Fulton,  S.J.,  being  the  orator  at  the  commemoration  at 
St.  James'  Church,  in  the  morning,  and  John  Boyle  O'Reilly  giving 
the  poem,  "  A  Nation's  Test,"  at  the  festivities  of  the  evening. 

In  1876  the  Redemptorist  Fathers  built  the  splendid  Church  of 
Our  Lady  of  Perpetual  Help,  familiarly  called  the  Mission  Church, 
on  Tremont  street,  Roxbury.  These  priests,  whose  Institute  was 
founded  in  the  last  century  by  St.  Alphonsus  Liguori,  were  intro- 
duced into  this  country  in  1841,  by  Archbishop  Eccleston,  of  Balti- 
more, for  the  German  Catholic  missions  of  the  United  States.  The 
American  membership  of  the  Congregation  of  the  Most  Holy  Re- 
deemer has  always  been  largely  of  German  extraction,  though  the 
ubiquitous  Irish  race  has  been  fairly  represented  in  the  ranks.  The 
present  rector  of  the  Mission  Church,  Boston,  the  Rev.  H.  J. 
Mclnerney,  is  an  Irishman.  During  the  pastorate  of  his  predeces- 
sor, the  Rev.  Joseph  Henning,  C.SS.R.  (now  rector  of  Sf  Patrick's 
Church,  Toronto,  Ont.),  the  Mission  Church  began  to  acquire  a  more 
than  local  celebrity  through  the  remarkable,  not  to  say  miraculous, 
cures  wrought  at  the  shrine  of  Our  Lady  of  Perpetual  Help.  The 
case  of  Miss  Grace  T.  Hanley,  daughter  of  Colonel  Hanley,  of  Bos- 
ton, in  1883,  is  perhaps  the  most  notable,  and  is  commemorated 
by  a  bronze  tablet  in  the  wall  of  the  Blessed  Virgin's  shrine.     The 


144  THE   IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

Redemptorist  Fathers  are  completing  a  magnificent  parochial  school, 
which  will  accommodate  fifteen  hundred  pupils,  and  will  be  opened 
this  year,  with  the  School  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame,  from  Baltimore,  as 
teachers.  Two  existing  Boston  Catholic  schools  of  equal  magnitude 
are  St.  Mary's,  North  End,  built  long  ago  by  the  Jesuits,  and  St.  Ste- 
phen's, in  the  same  section,  just  completed  by  the  Rev.  M.  Moran. 

The  Rev.  P.  F.  Lyndon,  V.G.,  died  April  18,  1878.  He  had 
been  Vicar-General  under  both  Bishops  Fitzpatrick  and  Williams, 
and  administrator  of  the  diocese  while  the  latter  was  attending  the 
Vatican  Council,  1869-70.  His  most  important  pastoral  charges 
were  SS.  Peter  and  Paul's,  South  Boston,  and  St.  Joseph's,  West 
End.  He  enlarged  St.  Joseph's  Church,  and  provided  the  rectory. 
He  also  built  the  Gate  of  Heaven  Church,  South  Boston. 

Father  Lyndon's  successor  as  Vicar-General  was  the  Very  Rev. 
William  Byrne,  then  rector  of  St.  Mary's,  Charlestown. 

Father  Byrne  was  born  in  Dunsany,  County  Meath,  Ireland, 
about  fifty-four  years  ago.  He  made  his  classical  studies  chiefly  in 
Ireland.  He  came  to  New  York  City  in  1857  and  after  a  short  res- 
idence there,  convinced  of  his  vocation  to  the  priesthood,  repaired  for 
his  ecclesiastical  studies  to  Mt.  St.  Mary's  College,  Emmettsburg,  Md. 
He  was  ordained  priest  for  the  diocese  of  Boston  in  1864.  For  some 
years  preceding  his  ordination,  and  for  a  year  thereafter,  he  was  pro- 
fessor of  mathematics  and  philosophy  in  the  college.  In  1865  he 
was  recalled  to  Boston,  and  appointed  successively,  as  heretofore 
stated,  Chancellor,  pastor  of  St.  Mary's,  Charlestown,  and  Vicar- 
General.  In  1880  Father  Byrne  was  prevailed  upon  to  accept  the 
presidency  of  his  old-time  Alma  Mater,  Mt.  St.  Mary's,  Emmettsburg. 
This  institution  was  in  serious  financial  difficulties ;  it  needed  at  its 
head  a  man  of  a  hard-working,  self-sacrificing  disposition,  clear  judg- 
ment, and  business  ability,  qualities  which  were  already  conspicuous  in 
Father  Byrne.  After  three  years  of  his  administration,  the  college 
found  itself  again  in  a  prosperous  condition,  and  Father  Byrne  re- 
turned to  Boston,  being  succeeded  at  Mt.  St.  Mary's  by  another  priest 
of  the  archdiocese  of  Boston,  the  Rev.  Edward  P.  Allen.  Father 
Byrne's   success  in  freeing  Mt.   St.  Mary's  from  its   difficulties  won 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH  IN  BOSTON.  145 

for  him  the  grateful  consideration  of  the  whole  Church  in  America ; 
for  that  venerable  college  has  had  a  most  important  and  honorable 
part  in  her  history.  Over  eighty  years  in  existence,  so  many  of  its 
sons  have  been  called  to  the  honors  of  the  Episcopate,  that  it  is  popu- 
larly named  the  "  Mother  of  Bishops."  There  is  not  a  diocese  in  the 
land  that  is  not,  or  has  not  been  at  some  time,  represented  in  its 
seminary. 

A  few  months  after  his  return  from  Mt.  St.  Mary's,  Father 
Byrne  succeeded  the  Rev.  William  J.  Daly  (who  died  in  Rome,  De- 
cember, 1883)  in  the  pastorate  of  St.  Joseph's  Church,  West  End, 
Boston. 

Besides  his  distinctive  work  as  Vicar-General  of  a  great  arch- 
diocese and  rector  of  a  populous  city  parish,  Father  Byrne  has 
found  time  for  much  special  service  in  the  promotion  of  popular 
education  and  temperance  reform.  He  founded,  a  few  years  ago, 
the  Boston  Temperance  Missions.  Associated  with  him  was  a  band 
of  prominent  priests  of  the  archdiocese,  who  went  from  church  to 
church,  on  the  invitation  of  the  pastor,  giving,  for  four  successive 
evenings  at  each  church,  instructions  on  the  causes  of  intemperance, 
its  spiritual  and  temporal  evils,  and  its  remedies.  These  missions 
were  highly  successful,  and  set  an  example  which  has  been  followed 
in  other  dioceses. 

Father  Byrne  was  administrator  of  the  archdiocese  of  Boston 
during  Archbishop  Williams'  visits  to  Rome  in  1883  and  1887.  He 
represented  the  Archbishop  in  Rome  at  the  Golden  Jubilee  of 
Pope  Leo  XIII.,  and  was  the  recipient  of  distinguished  favor  and 
consideration  from  the  Sovereign  Pontiff.  Returning  from  Rome, 
he  visited  his  native  Ireland.  Here  the  fame  of  his  efforts  for  Irish 
nationalism  had  preceded  him,  and  he  received  from  the  leaders  of 
the  Irish  Parliamentary  Party,  and  Irishmen  generally,  an  enthusiastic 
welcome.  He  was  an  honored  guest  at  the  St.  Patrick's  day  banquet 
of  1888,  in  London,  and  made  an  impressive  speech  in  response  to 
the  toast  "  The  Irish  in  America."  The  following  Easter  he  cele- 
brated Mass  before  an  immense  congregation  in  his  old  parish 
church  at  Dunsany,  County  Meath.     Bishop  Nulty,  of  Meath,  gave 


146  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

a  banquet  in  his  honor,  at  which  all  the  priests  of  the  diocese  were 
present,  and  at  which  the  patriotic  bishop  praised  in  the  warmest 
terms  Father  Byrne's  eminent  services  to  the  Catholic  faith  and  Irish 
nationalism.  On  his  return  to  Boston  the  May  following,  the  parish- 
ioners of  St.  Joseph's  testified,  by  a  memorable  reception,  their  devo- 
tion to  their  cherished  pastor. 

Father  Byrne  has  a  faculty  of  terse  and  lucid  expression  both  in 
speaking  and  writing.  He  contributed  to  the  great  "  Memorial  His- 
tory of  Boston,"  published  by  Messrs.  J.  R.  Osgood  &  Co.,  the  chap- 
ter on  "  The  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  Boston."  During  the  latest 
phases  of  the  school  excitement  in  Boston  he  has  several  times  been 
called  upon  to  explain,  in  the  secular  press,  the  Catholic  doctrine  on 
certain  controverted  points,  notably  the  much-misrepresented  question 
of  indulgences ;  and  many  misunderstandings  have  been  cleared  up, 
and  much  bad  feeling  dissipated,  by  his  prudent,  courteous,  and  clear 
manifestation  of  the  Faith.  By  their  invitation,  he  prepared  a  paper 
which  was  read  before  a  meeting  of  the  Universalist  ministers  of  Bos- 
ton, last  November,  entitled  "  Aids  to  Practical  Piety." 

On  May  10,  1879,  St.  Mary's  Church,  Charlestown,  celebrated 
its  fiftieth  anniversary.  Archbishop  Williams  celebrated  the  Pontifi- 
cal High  Mass,  and  Bishop  O'Reilly,  of  Springfield,  preached.  At 
a  further  celebration,  the  following  day,  the  Rev.  Richard  J.  Barry, 
now  rector  of  St.  Cecilia's,  Back  Bay,  Boston,  and  the  Very  Rev. 
J.  J.  Power,  V.  G.,  of  the  diocese  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  made  ad- 
dresses. 

The  ranks  of  the  priesthood  in  New  England  have  received 
many  accessions  from  old  St.  Mary's,  Charlestown.  This  was  the 
parish  church  of  the  Rt.  Rev.  Lawrence  S.  McMahon,  now  Bishop 
of  Hartford,  Conn.,  who  used  to  serve  Mass  at  its  altar  in  his  boy- 
hood. The  present  esteemed  rector  of  the  church,  the  Rev.  John 
W.  McMahon,  is  a  brother  of  the  bishop.  Another  old-time  parish- 
ioner of  St.  Mary's  is  the  Very  Rev.  John  J.  Power,  Vicar-General 
of  the  diocese  of  Springfield,  Mass. 

On  Feb.  20,  1880,  the  nuns  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  a  teaching 
order,  devoted  mainly  to  the  higher  education  of  girls,  were  intro- 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH  IN  BOSTON.  147 

duced  into  Boston,  and  located  their  academy  at  Chester  square. 
This  order,  founded  in  France,  in  1800,  came  first  to  America 
in  1 818,  and  has  been  marvellously  popular  and  successful.  Like 
all  the  other  orders  in  this  country,  it  has  been  largely  recruited 
from  among  ladies  of  Irish  birth  or  descent.  Among  them  we  may 
mention  two  nieces  and  a  grandniece  of  the  beloved  Irish  novelist 
and  poet,  Gerald  Griffin ;  and  in  the  Boston  convent,  a  relative  of 
the  illustrious  Irish  patriot,  Theobald  Wolfe  Tone.  The  new  con- 
vent on  Chester  square  was  built  in  1886.  It  is  in  charge  of  Madame 
Sarah  T.  Randall.  The  academy  has  an  attendance  of  nearly  one 
hundred  pupils. 

In  the  fall  of  1884,  the  great  work  of  the  episcopate  of  Arch- 
bishop Williams,  St.  John's  Ecclesiastical  Seminary,  Brighton,  was 
completed.  The  seminary,  a  plain,  substantial  stone  building,  has 
beautiful  grounds  covering  twenty-eight  acres. 

As  it  now  stands  it  has  accommodations  for  one  hundred 
students.  Later,  a  new  wing  will  be  erected  for  the  students  of 
philosophy.  Then  the  theological  students  will  have  the  exclusive 
use  of  the  present  building.  The  course  includes  two  years'  philos- 
ophy, with  natural  science,  and  four  years'  theology.  The  seminary 
is  open  primarily  to  candidates  for.  the  priesthood  from  the  various 
dioceses  of  New  England ;  but  the  candidates  from  other  dioceses 
can  also  be  received. 

A  word  here  of  the  very  remarkable  man  who  is  president  of  the 
seminary.  The  Very  Rev.  John  B.  Hogan,  S.S.,  D.D.,  is  a  native  of 
Ireland,  but  received  his  ecclesiastical  training  and  lived  the  greater 
part  of  his  priestly  life  in  the  seminary  of  St.  Sulpice,  Paris.  He  re- 
fused bishoprics  in  his  native  land  and  in  France,  preferring  to  devote 
himself  unreservedly  to  the  great  work  of  his  order,  —  the  training 
of  priests  for  God's  Church.  When,  at  the  request  of  Archbishop 
Williams,  Father  Hogan  was  sent  by  the  Superior  of  the  Sulpicians 
to  found  the  Boston  Seminary,  there  was  sorrow  throughout  France. 
The  well-known  Irishman,  Mr.  J.  P.  Leonard,  long  resident  in  Paris, 
and  a  friend  of  the  distinguished  priest,  wrote  thus  of  him  to  the 
" Pilot"  in  July,  1885  :  — 


148  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

For  a  quarter  of  a  century  as  one  of  the  Directors  of  St.  Sulpice,  Father 
Hogan  was  the  friend  and  spiritual  adviser  of  thousands  of  students  who  are  now  on 
the  mission  in  different  parts  of  France. 

Nothing  can  equal  their  respect  and  affection  for  him.  I  have  heard  their  feel- 
ings warmly  expressed  in  Brittany,  in  Normandy,  in  the  Orleanses,  and  the  Bour- 
bones,  in  hospitals,  and  ambulances,  and  even  on  the  field  of  battle.  This  will 
explain  the  outburst  of  sorrow,  when  the  news  of  his  departure  became  known. 

Father  Hogan  is  regretted  not  only  by  the  clergy,  who  all  knew  and  appreci- 
ated him,  but  in  the  higher  circles  of  Parisian  society,  though  he  lived  almost 
exclusively  in  the  seminary,  holding  little  intercourse  with  the  lay  world.  Once, 
however,  much  against  his  will,  he  was  forced  to  leave  it,  and  this  was  during  the 
terrible  Commune,  when  his  conduct  was  truly  heroic,  saving,  perhaps,  the  semi- 
nary, and  certainly  many  most  important  documents,  from  destruction.  From  his 
prison  cell  on  the  conciergerie,  quite  close  to  that  formerly  occupied  by  the  unfor- 
tunate Marie  Antoinette,  he  defied  and  browbeat  the  miserable  imitators  of  her 
persecutors,  narrowly  escaping  the  fate  of  the  Archbishop  of  Paris  and  the  other 
hostages. 

There  is  sorrow,  too,  among  his  own  countrymen,  for  he  was  true  to  them  and 
to  his  native  land.  Poor,  suffering  Ireland  ever  held  the  first  place  in  his  heart.  In 
her  dark  hours,  and  they  were  many,  he  defended  and  served  her,  as  many  here  know 
well,  and  none  better  than  his  old  friend  and  constant  admirer,  J.  P.  Leonard. 

A  pleasant  incident  in  the  history  of  the  seminary  was  the 
assembling  within  its  walls,  January,  1888,  of  the  priests  of  the  arch- 
diocese, in  witness  of  their  affection  and  devotion  for  the  founder, 
Archbishop  Williams.  Besides  the  testimonial  to  the  Archbishop 
himself,  his  portrait-bust  in  bronze,  the  work  of  the  sculptor,  Mr. 
John  Donoghue,  was  presented  by  the  priests  to  the  seminary.  The 
projector  of  both  testimonials  was  the  Rev.  Arthur  J.  Teeling,  of 
Newburyport,  Mass. 

The  development  of  the  Parochial  School  System  in  Boston  has 
also  to  be  noted.  We  have  seen  its  beginnings  under  Bishop  Chev- 
erus  and  the  Abbe  Matignon.  In  this  field,  Boston  Catholics,  and 
indeed  New  England  Catholics  as  a  body,  have  had  to  work  against 
difficulties  not  experienced  in  the  same  degree  by  their  fellow-relig- 
ionists in  other  parts  of  the  United  States.  Here  the  general  preju- 
dice against  the  Catholic  Church  has  been  special  and  intense  against 
the  Catholic  schools.  Protestant  ignorance  or  misunderstanding  of 
the  real  point  at  issue,  must  account  for  this ;    for  the   principle  of 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH   IN  BOSTON.  149 

religion  in  education,  which  the  Church  has  ever  maintained,  and 
whrch  Catholics,  as  far  as  possible,  carry  out,  was  the  very  corner- 
stone of  the  New  England  public-school  system.  Up  to  1859  the 
public  schools  of  Boston,  though  professedly  non-sectarian,  and  only 
used  by  the  Catholics  as  such  in  absence  of  Catholic  schools,  were 
practically  Protestant.  Though  more  nearly  conformed  to  the  non- 
sectarian  profession  to-day,  the  Catholic  children,  who  still  form  at 
least  half  the  attendance,  are  by  no  means  secured  against  assaults 
on  their  faith ;  and  Catholic  parents,  who  in  any  event  prefer  a  relig- 
ous  education  to  the  best  possible  merely  secular  system,  are  building 
up  steadily,  at  great  personal  sacrifice,  their  own  schools. 

The  decree  of  the  Third  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore  in  1884, 
which  emphasized  the  mind  of  the  Church  and  the  indispensable  duty 
of  American  Catholics  in  regard  to  the  establishment  of  parochial 
schools,  naturally  gave  a  great  impetus  to  school  building.  Some 
of  the  largest  and  best  in  Boston  have  been  erected  since  that  date. 

Catholic  activity  in  this  direction  excited  the  wrath  of  certain 
Protestants  to  such  a  degree  that  a  bill  ostensibly  for  "  the  inspection 
of  private  schools,"  but  actually  intended  for  the  embarrassment,  or 
even  repression,  of  Catholic  schools,  was  introduced  into  the  Massa- 
chusetts Legislature,  in  January,   1888. 

This  bill  was  framed  on  the  majority  report  of  the  joint  special 
committee  of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature  of  1887,  on  the  employ- 
ment and  schooling  of  children.  Its  supporters  professed  to  be 
moved  by  a  fear  that  the  education  given  in  private  schools  was 
not  equal  to  that  given  in  the  public  schools ;  and  that  the  welfare 
of  the  children  and  the  safety  of  the  Commonwealth  would  be  en- 
dangered if  the  private  schools,  to  whose  foundation  and  maintenance 
the  State  has  contributed  nothing,  were  not  compelled  to  open  their 
doors  and  submit  teachers  and  pupils  to  the  inspection  and  exami- 
nation of  officials  for  the  most  part  hostile  to  their  very  existence. 

Opposed  to  this  bill  was  the  able  minority  report  of  the  same 
committee,  presented  by  Representative  Michael  J.  McEttrick.  Said 
report  protested  against  the  proposed  State  inspection  as  an  in- 
terference with  the   natural  right  of  parents  and  the  constitutional 


150  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

right  of  American  citizens.  On  these  lines  the  bill  was  fought  in 
five  successive  hearings  before  the  Committee  on  Education  of  the 
Massachusetts  Legislature,  and  all  the  bigots  and  cranks  in  Boston  and 
its  neighborhood,  led  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Cook  and  the  Rev.  A.  A. 
Miner,  D.D.,  advocated  the  bill.  Ranged  with  the  Catholics  in 
opposition  to  it  were  such  men  as  President  Eliot,  of  Harvard 
University ;  Col.  Thomas  Wentworth  Higginson,  of  Cambridge ; 
the  Rev.  Edward  Everett  Hale,  and  Gen.  Francis  Walker.  Charles 
F.  Donnelly,  Esq.,  represented  the  Catholic  schools  with  con- 
spicuous ability  and  dignity.  The  bill  was  defeated,  and  the  dis- 
cussion had  the  good  effect  of  concentrating  national  attention  on  the 
well-defined  attitude  of  the  Catholics  on  the  education  question,  and 
of  bringing  out  strongly  the  fact  that  many  thoughtful  Protestants 
share  the  Catholic  conviction  of  the  necessity  of  religion  in  edu- 
cation. 

In  the  wake  of  the  State  Inspection  Bill  came  the  now  historic 
episode  in  the  school  controversy,  —  the  calumnious  definition  of  the 
Catholic  doctrine  of  indulgences  by  Master  Charles  B.  Travis,  of 
the  English  High  School,  Boston,  before  his  history  class,  in  which 
there  were  a  number  of  Catholic  pupils.  Master  Travis  asserted 
that  the  Catholic  doctrine  of  indulgences  means  a  permission  to 
commit  sin,  sometimes  bought  with  money,  and  illustrated  the  asser- 
tion by  the  further  statement  that  in  a  Catholic  country  a  murderer 
brought  before  a  judge  would  be  liberated  by  showing  his  indulgence 
papers. 

A  Catholic  pupil  earnestly  objected  to  this  infamous  calumny  of 
Catholic  doctrine ;  whereupon  the  professor  replied  that  he  would 
hold  to  his  opinion,  though  the  pupil  was  free  to  hold  his  own. 

The  incident  was  made  public,  but  the  teacher's  name  and  the 
name  of  the  school  were  charitably  withheld,  in  the  hope  that  the  case 
would  be  promptly  investigated,  and  the  offender  brought,  at  least,  to 
an  apology ;  but  within  a  few  days  the  lie  was  reiterated  in  the 
most  insulting  manner.  Thereupon  the  Rev.  Theodore  A.  Metcalf, 
rector  of  the  Gate  of  Heaven  Church,  South  Boston,  to  whose  parish 
the  pupil  above  mentioned  belonged,  made  a  formal  complaint  to  the 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH  IN   BOSTON.  151 

Boston  School  Committee.  Master  Travis,  called  to  account,  de- 
fended himself  on  the  plea  that  he  followed  this  foot-note  in  his  text- 
book, "  Swinton's  Outlines  of  History."1  Later,  the  Committee  on 
Text-Books,  composed  of  three  Protestants  and  two  Catholics,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Duryea,  G.  B.  Swasey,  E.  C.  Carrigam  Judge  J.  D.  Fallon, 
and  Dr.  J.  G.  Blake,  in  their  annual  revision  of  text-books,  pro- 
nounced the  book  inaccurate  not  only  on  Catholic  matters,  but  in  other 
respects,  and  ordered  it  dropped.  In  this  decision  the  Committee  on 
High  Schools,  Dr.  J.  G.  Blake,  chairman,  to  whom  Father  Metcalf's 
complaint  was  referred,  concurred,  censured  the  action  of  Master 
Travis,  and  recommended  his  transfer  to  some  other  office  in  the 
High  School  than  that  for  which  he  had  shown  himself  so  grossly 
unfitted.  The  School  Committee  accepted  the  report  and  adopted  the 
recommendations.  Chroniclers  of  this  episode  should  note,  however, 
that  Father  Metcalf  never  asked  either  for  the  exclusion  of  "  Swinton's 
Outlines  "  from  the  school  nor  the  exclusion  of  Master  Travis  from 
the  professorship  of  history,  nor  uttered  one  word  of  attack  of  the 
public-school  system ;  but  simply  appealed,  in  exercise  of  his  citizen- 
right,  to  the  School  Committee  to  take  measures  to  prevent  the  rep- 
etition by  a  teacher  of  statements  inconsistent  with  non-sectarian 
teaching. 

This  decision  furnished  to  the  anti-Catholic  leaders  a  pretext  for 
the  incitement  of  the  prejudices  and  ignorant  fears  which,  in  an 
earlier  stage  of  Boston's  history,  had  found  expression  in  church- 
wrecking  and  convent-burning.  Sunday  after  Sunday,  Music  Hall, 
Tremont  Temple,  and  certain  other  Protestant  places  of  worship 
rang  with  abuse  and  defamation  of  all  things  Catholic.  It  is  true 
that  the  more  refined  and  educated  non-Catholic  element  had  no 
part  in  this  assault  on  their  fellow-citizens  of  a  different  faith,  and 
that  so  eminent  a  Protestant  historian  as  Professor  Fisher,  of  Yale 
College,  publicly  denounced  as  an   atrocious  scandal  the  assertion 

1  "  These  indulgences  were,  in  the  early  ages  of  the  church,  remissions  of  the  penances 
imposed  upon  persons  whose  sins  had  brought  scandal  on  the  community.  But  in  process 
of  time  they  were  represented  as  actual  pardons  of  guilt,  and  the  purchaser  of  indulgences 
was  said  to  be  delivered  from  all  his  sins." 


152  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

that  the  Catholic  Church  ever  taught  that  the  forgiveness  of  sins  can 
be  bought  with  money.  A  Protestant  association,  called  the  Evan- 
gelical Alliance,  formally  petitioned  the  Boston  School  Committee 
for  the  restoration  of  "  Swinton's  Outlines"  and  the  reinstatement  of 
Master  Travis.  The  petition  was  denied.  Then  the  religious  issue 
was  introduced  into  the  campaign  preceding  the  municipal  elections 
of  Dec.  II,  1888.  A  peculiar  element  in  this  campaign  was  the 
interference  of  a  secret  society  known  as  the  Committee  of  One 
Hundred,  pledged  to  make  aggressive  war  on  the  Catholics. 

In  Boston,  women  have  the  right  to  vote  for  members  of  the 
School  Committee.  The  Protestant  women,  excited  by  the  frenzied 
appeals  of  ministers  and  politicians  to  save  the  schools,  and  Ameri- 
can institutions  generally,  "from  the  Jesuits,"  etc.,  voted  in  great 
numbers.  Some  Catholic  women  also  voted,  believing  that  the  emer- 
gency justified  them  in  overcoming  their  natural  aversion  to  entering 
the  field  of  political  action.  But  the  majority  of  the  Catholic 
women  felt  that,  in  the  long  run,  they  were  better  serving  the  cause 
of  justice  by  abstaining  from  the  suffrage.  The  election  resulted  in 
the  defeat  of  every  candidate  of  the  Catholic  faith,  or  supposed  to 
be  favorable  to  equitable  dealing  with  Catholics.  The  Catholic 
membership  of  the  School  Committee  was  reduced  to  eight,  and  this 
in  a  city  whose  population  is  more  than  half  Catholic. 

In  the  spring  of  1889  another  bill  for  the  State  inspection  of 
private  schools  was  introduced  into  the  Massachusetts  Legislature. 
The  bill  was  framed  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  L.  Gracey,  of  Salem,  and 
most  actively  pushed  by  representatives  of  the  Committee  of  One 
Hundred.  The  bill  of  the  preceding  year  was  conciliation  itself  in 
comparison  with  this,  which,  however,  had  the  merit  of  throwing 
off  all  hypocrisy,  and  being,  what  it  has  been  justly  styled,  an  Anti- 
Catholic  School  Bill.  It  was  aimed  directly  at  the  rights  of  Catho- 
lic parents  and  citizens,  and,  if  carried  into  effect,  would  deprive 
these  of  freedom  of  conscience,  and  even  of  freedom  of  speech. 
This  is  the  bill,  as  introduced  before  the  Committee  on  Educa- 
tion :  — 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH  IN  BOSTON.  153 

1.  Absolute  right  of  inspection  and  supervision  by  the  local  School  Commit- 
tee of  every  private  school  in  which  any  children  between  the  ages  of  eight  and 
fourteen  were  being  educated. 

2.  That  every  parent  and  other  person  having  control  of  a  child  able  to 
attend  school,  and  between  the  ages  of  eight  and  fourteen,  and  needing  instruction, 
who  would  not  cause  such  child  to  attend  a  public  school,  or  a  private  school, 
approved  by  the  local  School  Committee,  would  be  subject  to  a  penalty  of  twenty 
dollars,  whether  it  appeared  the  child  was  receiving  a  good  education  elsewhere 
or  not. 

3.  That  the  local  School  Committee  shall  only  approve  of  a  private  school 
when  the  teaching  therein  is  in  the  English  language,  in  the  branches  provided  by 
law,  and  the  text-books  used  therein  are  such  as  may  be  approved  by  the  committee, 
and  when  they  are  satisfied  otherwise  of  the  progress  and  condition  of  the  school. 

4.  That  any  person  who  shall  attempt  to  influence  any  parent  or  other  person 
having  under  his  care  or  control  any  child  between  eight  and  fourteen  years,  to  take 
such  child  out  of,  or  to  hinder  or  prevent  such  child  from  attending  a  public  or 
approved  school  by  any  threats  of  social,  moral,  political,  religious,  or  ecclesiastical 
disability,  or  disabilities,  or  any  punishment,  or  by  any  threats,  shall  forfeit  a  sum 
not  exceeding  $1,000,  and  not  less  than  $300,  in  each  offence. 

The  petitioners  for  this  bill  tried  to  invest  their  cause  with  some 
respectability  by  securing  as  counsel  ex-Governor  Long.  The 
counsel  for  the  Catholic  parochial  and  private  schools  was  again 
Charles  F.  Donnelly,  and  the  counsel  for  Protestant  private  schools, 
Nathan  Matthews,  Jr. 

-The  proposed  bill  was  discussed  before  the  Committee  on 
Education  in  fourteen  hearings,  from  March  20  till  April  24,  inclu- 
sive. On  April  25  the  closing  arguments  were  made.  Represent- 
ative Lund  was  assistant  counsel  for  the  petitioners.  Two  Protestant 
ministers — the  Revs.  A.  A.  Miner  and  J.  B.  Dunn — were  constant 
in  their  attendance  and  advocacy  of  the  bill.  The  presence  among 
the  petitioners  of  Superintendent  Bartlett,  of  the  public  schools  of 
Haverhill,  resulted  from  the  fact  that  the  Haverhill  School  Committee 
had  brought  in  an  order  of  their  own,  asking  for  legislation  on  the 
inspection  and  approval  of  private  schools,  moved  to  this  course  by 
finding  their  powers  insufficient  for  the  suppression  of  the  French 
Canadian  parochial  school,  St.  Joseph's.  More  than  a  third  of  the 
pupils   attending  this  school   came  from  homes  in  which  only  the 


154  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

French  language  was  spoken.  Part  of  the  teaching  was,  therefore, 
of  necessity  in  the  French  language.  This,  and  the  fact  that  the 
text-books  were  not  identical  with  those  used  in  the  public  schools, 
decided  a  hostile  school  committee,  after  a  hasty  examination,  to 
refuse  to  approve  the  school. 

The  Rev.  Oliver  Boucher,  rector  of  St.  Joseph's,  offered  to  make 
every  reasonable  concession  to  the  School  Committee.  Neverthe- 
less, parents  were  ordered  to  withdraw  their  children  from  St. 
Joseph's  and  send  them,  to  the  public  schools,  or  otherwise  be  prose- 
cuted under  the  truant  law.  The  French  parents  stood  up  bravely 
for  their  parental  and  conscientious  rights.  Several  test  cases  were 
brought  before  Judge  Carter,  of  Haverhill,  who  decided  in  favor  of 
the  defendants,  giving  it  as  his  official  opinion  that  St.  Joseph's 
School,  even  without  the  modifications  made  by  Father  Boucher  in 
the  hope  of  securing  the  approval  of  the  School  Committee,  amply 
met  the  requirements  of  the  compulsory  education  statute.  Then 
the  cry  was  raised  by  some  of  the  Boston  bigots  that  the  French 
people  were  coerced  by  the  priests  into  sending  their  children  to  the 
parochial  schools.  On  the  other  hand,  it  was  maintained  that  the 
French  kept  up  parochial  schools,  and  had  their  children  instructed 
in  the  ancestral  tongue  with  a  view  to  eventually  annexing  New 
England  to  the  Province  of  Quebec  ! 

French  Canadians  came  in  great  numbers  from  Haverhill, 
Lowell,  Lawrence,  Marlboro',  Worcester,  Fall  River,  and  Holyoke, 
to  testify  to  their  preference  for  a  distinctly  Catholic  education 
for  their  children,  and  to  their  absolute  loyalty  to  the  United 
States.  Among  their  conspicuously  able  spokesmen  were  Rep- 
resentative Dubuque,  of  Fall  River,  and  Emil  Tardivel,  editor 
of  "  Le  Travailleur,"  Worcester.  The  inquiry  developed  a  fact 
little  to  the  taste  of  the  petitioners ;  namely,  that  the  French 
Canadians  of  Massachusetts  are  becoming  naturalized  rapidly,  and 
in  great  numbers,  and  are,  as  a  rule,  in  favor  of  the  annexation  of 
Canada  to  the  United  States.  Three  priests  testified :  the  Revs. 
J.  P.  Bodfish,  of  Canton ;  Joseph  F.  McDonough,  of  Taunton ;  and 
the  Rev.  Richard  Neagle,  Chancellor  of  the  Archdiocese  of  Boston. 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH   IN    BOSTON.  155 

Other  remonstrants  were  Col.  T.  W.  Higginson,  J.  W.  McDonald, 
principal  of  the  Stoneham  High  School,  Edward  Hamilton,  Arthur 
A.  Hill,  editor  of  the  "  Haverhill  Gazette,"  all  Protestants ;  Julius 
Palmer,  Jr.,  and  Thomas  J.  Gargan,  Catholics.  The  searching  and 
comprehensive  examination  to  which  the  Catholics  were  subjected 
would  give  a  disinterested  hearer  the  impression  that  the  Catholic 
Church  was  on  trial  for  her  life  in  Massachusetts. 

In  the  face  of  the  fact  developed  during  the  hearing,  that  the 
Catholics  number  about  two-fifths  of  the  total  population  of  the 
Commonwealth,  and  in  many  cities  and  towns  are  in  the  majority, 
Massachusetts  legislators,  whatever  their  political  affiliations  or  relig- 
ious sympathies,  began  to  shrink  from  open  identification  with  the 
Anti-Catholic  School  Bill.  While  the  hearings  were  still  in  progress, 
the  House,  to  avoid  the  burden  of  a  decision,  appealed  to  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Massachusetts  for  an  interpretation  of  the  statute 
relating  to  private  schools.     The  Court  refused  an  opinion. 

A  few  weeks  later,  Representative  T.  W.  Bicknell,  for  the  majority 
of  the  Committee  on  Education,  reported  to  the  Legislature  a  bill 
which,  though  divested  of  the  prominent  anti-Catholic  features  of 
the  Gracey  Bill,  was  still  so  bigoted  and  inquisitorial  as  to  be  objec- 
tionable to  all  fair-minded  people.  Representatives  McEttrick  and 
Keane,  of  the  same  committee,  put  in  a  minority  report  setting 
forth  the  needlessness  of  any  additional  legislation.  Various  substi- 
tute bills  were  offered  and  debated,  but  that  which  finally  passed 
both  branches  of  the  Legislature,  with  slight  amendments  by  Repre- 
sentatives Dubuque  and  Davis,  was  the  bill  of  Representative  Ward- 
well  (Republican),  of  Haverhill.  This  bill  does  not  change,  but 
merely  defines,  the  existing  school  laws ;  clearing  Section  I.  (the 
Compulsory  Education  Statute)  of  the  obsolete  "poverty"  and 
"  half-time  school "  clauses,  and  explaining  in  what  "  the  means  of 
education"   consist. 

Concluding  this  outline  of  the  school  controversy  of  1889,  it 
must  be  said  that  the  Catholics,  forced  by  the  tactics  of  their  oppo- 
nents to  defend  the  teachings  of  their  Church,  as  well  as  their  citizen 
and  parental  rights,  were  most  fortunate  in  their  counsel,  Mr.  Charles 
F.  Donnelly,  who  conducted  their  case  with  a  dignity,  disinterested- 


156  THE     IRISH     IN    BOSTON. 

ness,  and  ability  which  shaped  public  opinion  at  an  early  stage  of 
the  contest,  and  foredoomed  all  anti-Catholic  and  inquisitorial  legis- 
lation before  the  close  of  the  legislative  hearings.  That  famous 
advocate  of  Catholic  popular  education,  the  Right  Rev.  Bernard  J. 
McQuaid,  of  Rochester,  N.Y.,  voiced  the  general  Catholic  conviction, 
when  he  said  in  Boston,  before  the  Free-Thought  Association,  in 
1 876,  that  Massachusetts  will  yet  settle  the  school  question  on  an 
equitable  basis  for  the  whole  country.  This  conviction  of  the 
national  value  of  the  outcome  of  the  Catholic  case  in  the  Massachu- 
setts school  controversy  attracted  national  interest  to  Mr.  Donnelly's 
procedure,  and  won  grateful  recognition  from  the  American  Catholic 
press,  for  the  value  of  the  weapons  which  he  has  furnished  to  the 
arsenals  of  those  on  whom  in  other  commonwealths  a  similar  conflict 
may  be  forced.  Massachusetts  Catholics  have  reason,  also,  to  be 
pleased  with  their  representatives  in  the  Legislature,  notably  the 
faithful  and  loyal  Mr.  M.  J.  McEttrick. 

Prominent  among  the  Catholic  charitable  institutions  of  Boston 
is  the  House  of  the  Angel  Guardian,  founded  in  1850  by  a  pious 
convert  priest,  the  Rev.  George  F.  Haskins.  It  is  for  orphan  boys, 
and  is  conducted  by  Brothers   of  Charity  from  Montreal,  Canada. 

The  Home  for  Destitute  Catholic  Children,  on  Harrison  avenue,, 
deserves  more  than  a  mere  naming. 

The  Home  for  Destitute  Catholic  Children  was  organized  in 
June,  1864.  It  was  first  known  as  the  Eliot  Charity  School,  and 
was  conducted  by  benevolent  ladies  and  gentlemen  at  a  house  on 
old  High  street,  in  this  city. 

The  original  committee  for  this  work  was  the  Very  Rev.  John 
J.  Williams,  now  Archbishop  of  Boston ;  the  Rev.  James  A.  Healy, 
now  Bishop  of  Portland,  Me. ;  Messrs.  Patrick  Donahoe,  William  S. 
Pelletier,  Charles  F.  Donnelly,  William  S.  Mellen,  the  last-named 
since  deceased. 

A  meeting,  composed  mainly  of  the  superintendents  of  the 
various  Catholic  Sunday-schools,  was  held  in  the  basement  of  the 
Cathedral  chapel  on  the  evening  of  Palm  Sunday,  March  20,  1864. 

It  was  ascertained  that  at  least  one  thousand  children  between 


THE    CATHOLIC   CHURCH  IN  BOSTON.  157 

the  ages  of  eight  and  twelve  years  were  annually  prosecuted  before 
the  courts  of  Boston.  The  judges  and  officers  before  whom  they 
appeared  could  only  look  upon  them  as  homeless  vagrants.  They 
were  for  the  most  part  children  of  Catholic  parents. 

It  was,  therefore,  proposed  that  a  temporary  home  be  provided 
for  such  children,  or  any  other  destitute  child,  regardless  of  creed, 
color,  or  nationality,  where  they  might  be  cared  for  until  they  could 
be  transferred  to  permanent  and  good  homes. 

In  1864  George  W.  Adams  was  elected  to  the  position  of 
superintendent,  which  he  held  until  1866,  when  he  was  succeeded 
by  Bernard  Cullen,  whose  labors  for  the  Home  covered  a  period  of 
twelve  years.  Mr.  Cullen  died  Feb.  12,  1878,  and  immediately 
his  son,  James  B.  Cullen,  became  his  successor  to  the  superintend- 
ency  of  the  institution  by  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  corporation. 
He  did  the  duties  of  superintendent  from  Feb.  12,  1878,  until 
May,  1883,  when  he  voluntarily  resigned  and  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits.  John  A.  Duggan  succeeded  to  the  position  made  vacant 
by  the  younger  Mr.  Cullen,  and  he  still  occupies  it. 

The  association  became  a  corporate  body  under  the  laws  of  the 
State,  with  fifteen  members  to  constitute  the  board  of  managers, 
who  are  elected  from  the  different  parishes  of  Boston. 

The  domestic  management  of  the  Home  was  under  the  super- 
vision of  matrons  until  1865,  and  then  the  Sisters  of  Charity  were 
induced  to  assume  the  management  of  its  domestic  affairs.  In 
1870  the  present  spacious  and  well-appointed  building  on  Harrison 
avenue  was  erected. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  over  seven  thousand  eight  hundred 
destitute,  homeless,  neglected  children  have  been  received  and  pro- 
vided for  at  this  establishment,  without  pay  or  compensation  of  any 
kind,  and  that  the  heavy  indebtedness  of  the  institution,  incurred  by 
a  land  purchase  and  erection  of  its  buildings,  together  with  the 
annual  payment  of  about  twelve  thou  i.nd  dollars  ($12,000)  for 
house  expenses,  it  will  be  seen  that,  in  orde,  'o  place  it  on  its  present 
sound  financial  basis,  much  care,  skill,  and  ?  if-sacrifice  were  neces- 
sary. 


V 


1.38  THE    IRISH   IN  BOSTON. 

All  poor,  homeless,  and  friendless  children  between  the  ages 
of  three  and  twelve  years  are  received  and  sheltered,  without  any 
distinction  of  race,  color,  or  religion. 

The  names  of  the  officers  of  the  Home  corporation,  with  the 
date  of  their  election,  are  as  follows  :  — 

1864 — Patrick  Donahoe ;  Charles  F.  Donnelly,  James  Havey, 
Matthew  Keany,  John  Lyons;  1869  —  James  Bonner;  1871  — 
Patrick  Grealy,  John  W.  McDonald,  James  McCormick,  John  B. 
O'Brien;  1877  —  John  Donovan,  James  W.  Dunphy,  James  Dool- 
ing,  James  McMahon  ;  1877  —  Patrick  Norton,  Owen  Nawn,  David 
A.  Ring;  1878  —  Christopher  Blake,  Patrick  T.  Hanley;  1880  — 
Patrick  Collins,  Rev.  W.  H.  Duncan,  S.J.,  John  Miller,  Patrick  F. 
Sullivan;  1882 — William  Peard,  Denis  Cawley,  Patrick  Doherty, 
Thomas  F.  Doherty;  1889  —  Rev.  Richard  Nagle.  Twenty-eight 
members  in  all,  two  vacancies  existing  in  the  board.  Officers  for 
1889  —  President,  John  B.  O'Brien;  Vice-President,  Charles  F. 
Donnelly;  Treasurer,  Patrick  F.  Sullivan;  Secretary,  James  Havey; 
Executive  Committee,  James  W.  Dunphy,  John  W.  McDonald,  John 
Miller. 

The  Home  celebrated  its  Silver  Jubilee  on  Sunday,  May  26, 
1889,  in  Music  Hall,  by  a  grand  Catholic  demonstration,  at  which 
Archbishop  Williams  presided,  and  Bishop  Healy,  of  Portland,  Me., 
delivered  the  chief  address. 

Boston  has  not  a  more  interesting  public  institution  than  the 
Working  Boys'  Home,  on  Bennet  street.  It  was  begun  in  a  small 
building  on  Eliot  street,  in  the  spring  of  1883,  by  the  Rev.  David 
H.  Roche,  with  four  boys.  Under  his  direction  the  present  spacious 
and  well-appointed  brick  building  on  Bennet  street  was  erected.  In 
1888  the  Rev.  John  F.  Ford  succeeded  Father  Roche  as  superin- 
tendent. There  are  at  present  nearly  one  hundred  boys  in  the 
Home.  Sisters  of  St.  Francis,  from  Allegany,  N.Y.,  have  charge 
of  the  domestic  arrangements.  Besides  comfortable  dormitories 
and  refectories,  there  is  a  well-furnished  gymnasium,  and  Father 
Ford  has  started  a  library  and  reading-room.  The  Home  is 
open   to  working  boys,   without   distinction   of  race  or  creed. 


7  HE   CATHOLIC   CHURCH  IN  BOSTON.  159 

A  Home  for  Working  Girls  was  opened  in  June,  1888,  on 
Dover  street,  Boston,  under  the  patronage  of  Archbishop  Williams. 
It  is  directed  by  Grey  Nuns  from  Montreal.  It  is  not  a  charitable 
institution,  but  a  house  where  home  protection  and  home  comforts 
can  be  supplied  at  a  modest  sum  to  girls  employed  in  stores,  offices, 
etc.  An  association  of  prominent  Catholic  ladies,  called  the  Work- 
ing Girls'  Friends'  Society,  has  been  organized  for  the  benefit  of  this 
institution.  Its  president,  in  1888,  was  Mrs.  Hugh  O'Brien;  in  1889, 
Mrs.  M.  E.  P.  Fennell. 

The  priesthood  of  Boston  have  always  been  earnest  advocates 
of  Irish  Home  Rule.  On  Jan.  25,  1881,  almost  immediately  after 
the  great  National  Convention  of  the  Land  League,  in  Buffalo,  N.Y., 
Archbishop  Williams  and  all  the  priests  of  the  archdiocese  met  at 
the  house  of  the  Vicar-General,  Boston. 

The  meeting  endorsed  the  principles  laid  down  in  the  Buffalo 
Convention  as  justified  by  religion  and  morality,  and  framed  an 
address  to  the  bishops,  priests,  and  people  of  Ireland,  expressing 
fraternal  sympathy  in  their  struggle,  admiration  for  their  splendid 
self-control  in  the  face  of  extreme  provocation,  and  speaking  strong 
words  for  land  reform  and  home  rule.  It  thus  concluded :  "  We 
pray  the  Giver  of  all  good  gifts  that  he  may  reward  Ireland's  cen- 
turies of  suffering  and  fidelity  to  religion  with  the  fullest  civil  liberty, 
peace,  and  prosperity,  so  that  she  may  be  once  again  the  home  of 
learning  and  science,  and  a  source  of  blessings  to  other  nations." 
The  address  was  signed  as  follows :  — 

John  J.  Williams,  Archbishop  of  Boston ;  William  Byrne,  V.G. ; 
William  A.  Blenkinsop,  Church  of  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul,  South  Bos- 
ton, Chairman;  M.  F.  Flatley,  St.  Joseph's,  Wakefield,  Secretary; 
T.  H.  Shahan,  St.  James,  Boston ;  T.  Magennis,  St.  Thomas,  Ja- 
maica Plain ;   M.  J.  Masterson,  St.  John's,  Peabody. 

The  address  was  followed  by  a  generous  contribution  from  the 
Boston  priests  to  the  funds  of  the  Land  League. 

A  word  about  the  chief  Catholic  Societies  in  Boston.  The 
Society  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  composed  of  laymen,  who  regularly 
devote  some  time  to  the  visiting  and  relief  of  the  sick  and  poor,  was 


160  THE    IRISH   IN  BOSTON. 

introduced  into  Boston  by  its  present  archbishop,  the  Most  Rev. 
John  J.  Williams.  In  1861,  while  pastor  of  St.  James'  Church, 
Boston,  he  established  in  that  parish  the  first  conference  of  St. 
Vincent  de  Paul.  There  is  now  scarcely  a  parish  in  the  city  without 
its  conference.  A  conference  of  colored  Catholics,  called  St.  Peter 
Claver's,  was  established  in  the  spring  of  1889,  under  the  presidency 
of  Mr.  Robert  L.  Rufin,  with  the  Rev.  John  F.  Ford,  of  the  Working 
Boys'  Home,  as  spiritual  director.  From  the  report  of  the  Particular 
Council,  for  the  year  ending  Dec.  31,  1888,  we  get  a  specimen 
year's  work.  The  active  membership  at  date  was  547 ;  families 
aided  during  the  year,  1,532,  comprising  5,378  persons;  visits  made 
to  the  poor,  22,953  ;  moneys  received  during  the  year,  added  to 
balance  in  treasury,  $34,866.56;  moneys  disbursed  among  the  poor, 
$25,741.09  —  leaving  in  treasury  $9,125.47.  The  Particular  Council 
is  composed  of  a  Council  of  Direction  (constituted  in  1889),  as 
follows :  — 

Spiritual  Director,  the  Very  Rev.  William  Byrne.  V.G. ;  Presi- 
dent, Thomas  F.  Ring;  Vice-Presidents,  Henry  McQuade,  Thomas 
Shay;  Secretary,  John  J.  Mundo ;  Treasurer,  J.  W.  McDonald;  and 
the  spiritual  directors,  presidents,  and  vice-presidents  of  the  vari- 
ous Conferences. 

The  Catholic  Union,  of  Boston,  was  founded  in  March,  1873, 
under  the  inspiration  of  the  words  of  the  late  Sovereign  Pontiff,  Pope 
Pius  IX.,  recommending  union  and  organization  of  the  Catholic  laity 
in  the  spirit  of  loyalty  to  the  Church.  To  secure  the  perpetuation  of 
a  truly  Catholic  spirit  in  the  Union,  Sect.  2,  Art.  I.,  of  the  By-Laws 
provides  that  the  Archbishop  of  Boston  shall  always  be  arbiter  in 
all  questions  and  cases  that  may  arise  in  the  Union.  The  first  Ex- 
ecutive Committee  of  the  Catholic  Union  (or  the  Council  of  the  Cath- 
olic Union,  as  it  was  originally  called)  was  thus  composed :  John  G. 
Blake,  M.D.,  Hon.  P.  A.  Collins,  Messrs.  John  F.  McEvoy,  William 
F.  Connolly,  H.  L.  Richards  ;  Treasurer,  Hugh  O'Brien  ;  Correspond- 
ing Secretary,  William  S.  Pelletier ;  Recording  Secretary,  John  Boyle 
O'Reilly.  First  Board  of  Officers:  President,  Theodore  Metcalf; 
first  Vice-President,    Patrick  Donahoe  ;    second  Vice-President,  John 


THE    CATHOLIC   CHURCH  IN  BOSTON.  161 

C.  Crowley;  Spiritual  Director,  the  Rev.  James  Augustine  Healy. 
Committee  on  Nominations :  Hugh  Carey,  Gen.  Patrick  R.  Guiney, 
John  Boyle  O'Reilly,  Samuel  Tuckerman. 

The  Union  proposed  to  its  members  these  permanent  studies 
and  interests :  The  Church,  Catholic  Education,  Public  Schools,  Pub- 
lic Institutions,  Catholic  Charities  and  Protection,  Sacred  Music. 
The  influence  of  a  body  of  earnest,  intelligent  men,  taking  serious 
thought  of  such  questions  as  are  involved  in  the  foregoing  topics, 
was  soon  felt  in  the  community.  To  the  Catholic  Union  is  due  in 
great  part  the  obtaining  of  freedom  of  worship  for  the  inmates  of  the 
State  penal,  reformatory,  and  charitable  institutions.  It  is  interest- 
ing to  add  that  one  of  the  two  honorary  members  of  the  Catholic 
Union  is  a  lady,  Miss  Emma  Forbes  Cary,  of  Cambridge,  Mass., 
distinguished  for  her  labors  in  the  spiritual  and  temporal  interest 
of  prisoners.  The  other  honorary  member  is  the  Rt.  Rev.  James  A. 
Healy,  Bishop  of  Portland,  Me. 

The  succession  of  presidents  in  the  Catholic  Union  has  been : 
Theodore  Metcalf,  1873-75;  Henry  L.  Richards,  '75— 7^ ;  John  C. 
Crowley,  '76-78;  Hugh  O'Brien,  '78-80;  Thomas  Dwight,  M.D., 
'81-82;  John  B.  Moran,  M.D.,  '82-84;  J.  A.  Maxwell,  '84-85; 
Joseph  D.  Fallon,  '85-86;  J.  C.  Crowley,  '86-88;  Thomas  F.  Ring, 
'88-89.  The  successive  spiritual  directors  have  been  :  the  Revs. 
James  Augustine  Healy,  Alexander  Sherwood  Healy,  Joshua  P. 
Bodfish,  and  Leo  P.  Boland.  The  present  board  of  officers  (1889)  : 
Honorary  President,  Archbishop  Williams ;  President,  James  L. 
Walsh ;  First  Vice-President,  Thomas  B.  Fitz ;  Second  Vice-Presi- 
dent, James  A.  Reilly ;  Recording  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  John  J. 
McCluskey ;  Corresponding  Secretary,  Thomas  J.  Kelly  ;  Executive 
Committee,  the  foregoing  ex-officiis  and  William  H.  Grainger, 
Daniel  L.  Prendergast,  Francis  Martin,  Stephen  Murphy,  J.  B.  Fitz- 
patrick ;  Committee  on  Nominations  to  Membership,  M.  C.  Curry, 
Edward  Harkins,  T.  J.  Monaghan,  F.  B.  Doherty. 

To  Father  Bodfish,  for  so  many  years  identified  with  it  as 
Spiritual  Director,  the  Union  is  indebted  largely  for  its  development 
and  influence  as  a  social  organization.     A  brilliant  and   memorable 


162  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

event  in  the  early  history  of  the  Catholic  Union  was  the  three  days' 
festival  in  Music  Hall,  concluding  on  the  evening  of  Nov.  13,  1873, 
in  honor  of  Pope  Pius  IX.  The  programme  included  an  address  by 
the  President,  Theodore  Metcalf ;  the  address  of  the  Catholic  Union 
to  Pope  Pius  IX.,  John  Boyle  O'Reilly;  the  reading  of  the  Holy 
Father's  reply  to  the  Union's  address,  by  William  Summers  Pelletier; 
and  the  following  addresses  :  "  The  Objects  of  the  Catholic  Union  of 
Boston,"  Henry  L.  Richards ;  "  The  Growth  of  the  Church  in  New 
England,"  Rev.  James  A.  Healy,  Spiritual  Adviser  to  the  Council  of 
the  Union ;  "  The  Catholic  Charities  of  Boston,"  Patrick  Donahoe ; 
"  Congratulatory,"  Dr.  Henry  James  Anderson,  President  of  the 
Catholic  Union  of  New  York ;  "  Catholic  Historical  Society,"  John 
C.  Crowley;  "Catholic  Institute  in  Boston,"  Patrick  A.  Collins; 
"  The  State  of  the  Church  in  Europe,"  Rev.  Robert  Fulton,  S.J. 
The  great  feature  of  Part  III.  of  the  Festival's  programme  was  the 
discourse  on  ''The  Duties  of  American  Catholics,"  by  the  Rev.  James 
Kent  Stone.  Dr.  Kent  Stone  had  been  a  clergyman  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  and  President  of  Hobart  College,  Geneva.  N.Y.  His  con- 
version was  a  direct  result  of  the  fatherly  appeal  of  Pope  Pius  IX., 
just  before  the  Vatican  Council  of  1869-70,  to  non-Catholic  Chris- 
tians to  return  to  the  unity  of  the  faith.  This  appeal  was  also  the 
inspiration  of  Dr.  Kent  Stone's  celebrated  book,  "  The  Invitation 
Heeded."  The  author  is  now  a  member  of  the  austere  Passionist 
Order,  founded  in  the  last  century  by  St.  Paul  of  the  Cross ;  and  for 
seven  years  past  has  been  doing  wonderful  missionary  work  in 
Buenos  Ayres  and  other  portions  of  the  Argentine  Republic  and 
Chili,  S.A. 

Other  notable  events  in  the  history  of  the  Catholic  Union  have 
been  the  reception  in  honor  of  Cardinal  Gibbons,  March  12,  1888; 
and  the  celebration,  at  the  Brunswick,  of  the  Centenary  of  Washing- 
ton's Inauguration,  April  30,  1889.  The  new  President,  Judge  James 
L.  Walsh,  was  chairman ;  J.  P.  Leahy,  Esq.,  toast-master.  The 
formal  addresses  of  the  evening  were:  "  George  Washington,"  by 
Hon.  Thomas  J.  Gargan ;  "The  Catholic  Church,"  the  Very  Rev. 
William   Byrne,   V.G. ;    "The   United    States   of  America,"    Thomas 


THE    CATHOLIC   CHURCH  IN  BOSTON.  163 

Flatley,  Esq.  Addresses  were  also  made  by  the  Rev.  J.  P.  Bodfish, 
the  Rev.  Leo.  P.  Boland,  Spiritual  Director  of  the  Union,  and  ex- 
President  Thomas  F.  Ring. 

Catholic  temperance  work  in  Boston  received  its  first  notable 
impulse  from  the  visit  of  Father  Mathew,  in  1849. 

The  city  authorities  gave  him  a  public  reception,  and  the  use 
of  Boston  Common  and  Faneuil  Hall  for  public  meetings.  On  a 
single  day,  July  27,  1849,  he  gave  the  pledge  to  four  thousand 
people,  Catholic  and  non-Catholic. 

Among  Boston  priests  eminent  and  successful  in  temperance 
work  we  may  name  the  Rev.  Peter  A.  McKenna,  now  of  Marlboro' ; 
the  Rev.  Hugh  Roe  O'Donnell,  of  East  Boston ;  the  Rev.  James  F. 
Talbot,  D.D.,  of  the  Cathedral.  Boston  has  a  flourishing  Arch- 
diocesan  Total  Abstinence  Union,  with  a  membership,  at  latest 
returns,  of  3,667,  and  officered  as  follows:  President,  J.  Crowley,  of 
Cambridge ;  Vice-President,  Stephen  Anderson ;  Secretary,  Edward 
Mulready;  Assistant  Secretary,  C.  J.  Fay;  Treasurer,  the  Rev.  P.  A. 
McKenna. 

The  eighteenth  annual  convention  of  the  Catholic  Total  Absti- 
nence Union  of  the  United  States  was  held  in  Tremont  Temple, 
Boston,  August  2  and  3,  1888,  under  the  presidency  of  the  Rev. 
Thomas  J.  Conaty,  D.D.,  of  Worcester,  Mass.  There  were  delegates 
representing  53,000  Catholic  total  abstainers.  Among  the  eminent 
visitors  who  addressed  the  Union  were  the  Rt.  Rev.  John  J.  Keane, 
rector,  and  the  Rev.  Philip  J.  Garrigan,  vice-rector,  of  the  American 
Catholic  University,  Washington,  D.C. ;  the  Rev.  J.  R.  Slattery, 
rector  of  St.  Joseph's  Seminary,  Baltimore,  Md.,  for  the  education  of 
candidates  for  the  negro  missions  of  the  South ;  the  Revs.  Thaddeus 
Hogan,  Jersey  City,  N.J. ;  Morgan  M.  Sheedy,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. ;  J. 
M.  Cleary,  of  Wisconsin ;  and  Walter  Elliot,  of  the  Paulist  Fathers, 
New  York.  Protestants  and  Catholics  alike  crowded  the  galleries 
during  the  various  sessions,  and  the  revelation  of  the  sound  sense 
and  effectiveness  of  Catholic  methods  of  temperance  reform  was 
not  lost  on  workers  in  the  good  cause  outside  the  Catholic 
Church. 


164  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

Besides  the  associations  above  mentioned,  every  parish  is  well 
equipped  with  religious  sodalities  for  men  and  women. 

To  summarize:  Of  Boston's  400,000  population,  fully  225,000 
are  Catholics.  Out  of  the  total  of  children  born  in  this  city  in  a 
recent  year  (1887),  seven-twelfths  were  baptized  in  the  various 
Catholic  churches.  These  Catholics  have  35  fine  churches,  at- 
tended by  125  priests.  The  thirty-sixth,  St.  Cecilia's,  in  the 
Back  Bay  district,  is  begun,  and  ground  will  soon  be  broken  for 
two  school-chapels  in  St.  Joseph's  parish,  Roxbury.  There  is  an 
ecclesiastical  seminary  with  81  students;  a  college  with  275  ;  three 
academies  for  girls  with  a  total  of  270  pupils,  and  17  parochial 
schools  with  an  attendance  of  over  10,000  boys  and  girls;  three 
hospitals,  five  orphanages,  two  homes  for  the  aged  poor,  a  House  of 
the  Good  Shepherd,  a  Home  for  Working  Boys,  and  a  Home  for 
Working   Girls. 

These  are  eloquent  figures,  and  voice  truths  no  reasonable  mind 
can  misunderstand,  remembering  how  the  seed  of  Catholicity  was 
sowed  on  ungenial  soil,  in  poverty  and  obscurity,  and  in  the  shadow 
of  popular  disfavor ;  how  it  sprouted  and  strengthened,  withstanding 
many  tempests,  until  now,  deep-rooted,  of  towering  height  and 
giant  girth,  beautiful,  indestructible,  it  gathers  a  vast  multitude 
under  its  grateful  shade,  and,  Tree  of  Life  as  it  is,  puts  forth  its 
leaves  for  the  healing  of  the  nations. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES 


OF 


DISTINGUISHED    MEN    OF    EARLY    TIMES, 


SKETCHES    OF   DISTINGUISHED   MEN    OF   EARLY 

TIMES. 


JOHN    HANCOCK. 


FT  is  stated  by  reliable  authorities  that  the  ancestors  of  John  Han- 
-*-  cock  emigrated  from  near  Downpatrick,  Down  County,  Ireland, 
and  settled  in  Boston  1  towards  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century.2 
The  "  Hancocks  have  been  for  centuries  actively  and  largely  engaged 
in  the  foreign  and  domestic  trade  of  Newry,"  3 
and  it  was  doubtless  in  a  commercial  capac- 
ity that  the  first  of  the  name  came  to 
Boston.  The  family  to  which  President  Han- 
cock belonged  is,  it  is  said,  now  represented 
in  Ireland  by  John  Hancock,  of  Lurgan, 
Down  County,  and  by  Neilson  Hancock,  the 
founder  of  the  Irish  Statistical  Society. 

John  Hancock  was  born  at  Braintree,  Mass.,  John   hancock. 

in  1737,  and  when  quite  young  was  left  in  the  care  of  his  father's 
brother,  a  wealthy  merchant  of  Boston,  who  sent  him  soon  after  to 
Harvard  College,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1754.  He  then  became 
a  clerk  in  his  uncle's  office,  and,  going  to  England  on  business  in  1761, 
made  the   acquaintance  of  several  of  the  leading  public    men  there. 

1  Tyrone  (Ireland)  Constitution,  quoted  in  "  Irish  World,"  Centennial  number,  1876.  The  writer 
adds  :  "  Those  who  are  conversant  with  Reid's  '  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Ireland' 
are  aware  that  multitudes  of  Protestants  left  Ulster  for  the  plantations  of  North  America,  for 
causes  sufficiently  explained  in  that  authority.  John  Hancock's  ancestor  was  amongst  that 
number." 

2  Anthony  Hancock  was  in  Boston  in  1681.     He  came  from  Ireland. 

3  Article  in  Pittsburgh  "  Leader,"  quoted  in  "  Irish  World."  The  name  appears  in  the 
records  of  the  Irish  Parliament. 

(167) 


1(58  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

His  uncle  died  in  1763,  and  left  him  great  wealth,  —  the  largest  for- 
tune in  New  England.  He  became  prominently  identified  with,  and 
a  leader  in,  public  affairs.  In  1766  he  represented  Boston  in  the 
Massachusetts  General  Assembly.  Incidentally  his  regard  and  gen- 
erosity were  bestowed  upon  his  kindred  in  Boston.  An  Irish  Presby- 
terian congregation,  whose  first  place  of  worship  was  a  barn,  had 
erected  a  church  on  the  corner  of  Federal  and  Berry  streets.  Hancock 
gave  them  a  bell  and  vane.  The  first  pastor  of  this  church,  Rev. 
John  Moorhead,  entered  the  ministry  in  Ireland,  and  was  installed 
in  Boston  in  1730,1  becoming  a  member  of  the  Charitable  Irish 
Society  in  1739.  It  was  to  this  church  that  the  convention  of 
which  Hancock  was  president  adjourned  from  the  Old  State-House, 
where  it  met  to  consider  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution  in 
January,  1788. 

He  was  from  the  first  a  sturdy  opponent  of  the  methods  by  which 
the  London  Parliament  sought  to  injure  and  harass  the  colonists,  and 
his  example,  efforts,  and  influence  contributed  materially  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  national  cause.  One  of  the  earliest"  outrages,"  as 
the  English  called  them,  committed  by  the  people  upon  the  govern- 
ment officials,  was  caused  by  the  seizure  of  Hancock's  vessel,  the 
"  Liberty,"  on  a  charge  of  containing  concealed  contraband  goods. 
"  The  people  turned  out,  beat  the  officers,  burned  the  government 
boat,  and  drove  the  officials  to  the  fort  in  the  harbor  for  safety."2 
He  delivered  in  1774  the  annual  oration  in  commemoration  of  the 
"  Massacre"  of  March  5,  1770,  and  was  elected  in  the  same  year 
president  of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  and  also  a 
delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress,  which  met  in  September,  at 
Philadelphia.  On  June  12,  1775,  he  was  declared  an  "  outlaw"  by  a 
proclamation  of  General  Gage.  In  this  document,  "  martial  law  "  was 
proclaimed.  Those  in  arms,  and  their  friends,  were  declared  "  rebels, 
parricides  of  the  Constitution,"  and  a  free  pardon  was  offered  to  all 
who  would  return  to  their  allegiance,  except  John  Hancock  and 
Samuel  Adams. 


1  Drake's  "  Landmarks  of  Boston,"  p.  263. 

2  Lossing's  "  Eminent  Americans,"  p.  160. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  1(39 

Hancock  was  again  a  delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress,  in 
1775  ;  and  when  Randolph,  the  first  president,  resigned  through  ill 
health  fourteen  days  after  it  had  met,  the  Massachusetts  "outlaw" 
was  chosen  to  fill  his  place.  On  July  4,  1776,  Hancock,  as  president 
of  Congress,  and  Charles  Thomson,  of  Maghera,  as  secretary,  signed 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  when  it  was  adopted,  and  with  only 
their  names  attached  to  it  "  was  sent  forth  to  the  world,"  the  other 
signatures  not  being  affixed  to  the  document  until  August  the  second, 
following. 

The  illustrious  "  First  Signer,"  on  account  of  weakened  health, 
resigned  his  seat  in  Congress  in  1777.  In  the  year  following,  how- 
ever, when  Sullivan  was  preparing  to  attack  the  British  on  Rhode 
Island,  Hancock  hastened  to  his  aid  at  the  head  of  the  militia  of 
Massachusetts,  and  took  part  in  the  stirring  events  near  Bristol 
Ferry  in  August,  1 778.1  The  year  following,  he  was  elected 
Governor  of  Massachusetts,  a  position  which  he  continued  to  hold 
for  five  consecutive  years,  when  he  declined  a  reelection.  He  was 
again  chosen  Governor  in  1787,  and  reelected  annually  until  his 
death,  which  took  place  Oct.   8,    1793. 

MAJOR-GENERAL   HENRY   KNOX. 

Major-General  Henry  Knox  was  born  at  Boston  of  Irish  parents 
in    1750.      When  the  Revolution   commenced  he  was    engaged    in 
business  as  a  bookseller   in  his  native  city, 
but  he  promptly  sacrificed  his  personal  in- 
terests in  his  zeal  for  the  national  cause. 

"  The  man,"  says  Peterson,  "  who,  of 
all  others,  stood  first  in  Washington's  affec- 
tions was  Henry  Knox,  commander  of  the 
artillery  in  the  American  army.  The  in- 
tellectual abilities  of  Knox  were  sound ;   but 

1  *.U    *  "      •  4-1  GENERAL   KNOX. 

it  was  his  moral  ones  that  were  preeminently 

deserving    of  esteem,    and    in    consideration    of  which    Washington 

1  Lossing's  "  Eminent  Americans." 


170  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

bestowed  upon  him  the  love  and  confidence  of  a  brother.  In  every 
action  where  Washington  appeared  in  person  Knox  attended  him ; 
in  every  council  of  war  he  bore  a  part.  His  services  at  the  head 
of  the  ordnance  were  invaluable.  He  assumed  command  of  that 
branch  of  the  army  in  the  first  year  of  the  war,  and  continued  at  its 
head  until  the  close  of  the  contest.  At  the  battle  of  Monmouth, 
the  manner  in  which  he  handled  his  guns  awakened  the  admiration 
of  the  enemy,  and,  in  fact,  contributed  more,  perhaps,  than  anything 
else  to  repel  the  last  desperate  assault.  Greene  had  so  high  an 
opinion  of  Knox,  that  when  Washington  offered  to  the  former  the 
command  of  the  Southern  army,  he  proposed  Knox  in  his  stead. 
His  first  connection  with  the  artillery  service  occurred  immediately 
after  the  battle  of  Lexington.  Knox  had  not  been  engaged  in  that 
struggle ;  but,  a  few  days  subsequently,  he  made  his  escape  from 
Boston,  and,  joining  his  countrymen  in  arms  at  Cambridge,  offered 
to  undertake  the  arduous  task  of  transporting  from  Ticonderoga 
and  Canada  the  heavy  ordnance  and  military  stores  captured  there 
by  the  Americans.  The  energetic  spirit  of  the  young  man,  and  the 
handsome  manner  in  which  he  executed  a  task  abounding  with  what 
some  would  have  considered  impossibilities,  attracted  the  special 
notice  of  Washington,  and  Knox,  in  consequence,  was  rewarded 
with  the  command  of  this  very  artillery,  most  of  which  he  employed 
with  good  service  in  the  siege  of  Boston.  Thus  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five  he  occupied  one  of  the  most  responsible  positions  in 
the  army.  From  this  period  Knox  remained  with  Washington,  tak- 
ing part  in  all  the  principal  battles  fought  by  the  Commander- 
in-Chief." 

When  Cornwallis  surrendered  at  Yorktown,  Knox  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  major-general.  He  was  in  command  of  the  American 
troops  when  they  marched  into  New  York  on  its  evacuation  by  the 
English,  Nov.  25,  1783,  halting  for  a  few  hours  near  where  now 
stands  the  armory  of  the  Sixty-ninth  Regiment,  and  then  moving 
forward  to  take  possession  of  Fort  George,  "  amid  the  acclamations 
of  thousands  of  emancipated  freemen  and  the  roar  of  artillery 
upon  the  battery."     When,  on  December  4,  the  principal  officers  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES.  171 

the  army  assembled  at  Fraunce's  Tavern  to  bid  farewell  to  Wash- 
ington, the  latter  entered  the  room  where  they  were  all  waiting,  and, 
taking  a  glass  of  wine  in  his  hand,  expressed  the  wish  that  their 
"  latter  days  might  be  as  prosperous  and  happy  as  their  former  ones 
had  been  glorious  and  honorable."  Then,  having  drunk,  he  said, 
"I  cannot  come  to  each  of  you  to  take  my  leave,  but  shall  be 
obliged  to  you  if  each  will  come  and  take  me  by  the  hand."  Knox, 
who  stood  next  to  him,  grasped  his  hand,  and  then,  "  while  the 
tears  flowed  down  the  cheeks  of  each,"  the  Commander-in-Chief 
embraced  and  kissed  him,  as  he  did  afterwards  the  other  officers. 
Knox  succeeded  Lincoln  as  Secretary  of  War  under  the  old  con- 
federation, and  in  1789,  on  the  organization  of  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment, he  was.chosen  by  Washington  to  fill  the  same  position  in  his 
cabinet.  He  resigned  in  1794,  and  went  to  live  at  Thomaston, 
Me.  In  1798,  when  a  foreign  war  seemed  imminent,  he  was 
appointed  to  an  important  command ;  but  the  trouble  passed  over, 
and  he  was  not  called  on  for  active  service. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  in  1772,  Knox  joined  the  Char- 
itable Irish  Society,  of  Boston.  His  desire  to  mingle  and  be  iden- 
tified with  men  of  Irish  origin  was  further  shown  in  1782,  when  he: 
became  a  member  of  the  Friendly  Sons  of  St.  Patrick,  of  Philadel- 
phia. The  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  was  formed  at  his  suggestion. 
He  died  in  1806,  at  Thomaston,  Me. 

He  was  affable  and  unassuming  in  private  life,  as  a  public  offi- 
cer thorough  and  capable,  and  as  a  soldier  of  unsurpassed  daring. 

GOV.  JAMES    SULLIVAN. 

James  Sullivan  was  a  most  ardent  and  distinguished  patriot  of 
the  American  Revolution,  and  he  was  equally  noted  for  his  masterly 
ability  as  a  lawyer,  statesman,  and  orator.  His  father,  John  Sul- 
livan, was  an  Irish  schoolmaster,  who  had  emigrated  from  Kerry  or, 
as  some  say,  Limerick,  Ireland,  to  the  Colonies,  and  settled  in 
Berwick,  Me.,  in  1723,  and  lived  to  see  his  two  sons,  James  —  the 
Governor  of  Massachusetts —  and  John,  become  distinguished  among 


172  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

their  fellow-countrymen,  dying  at  the  patriarchal  age  of  one  hun- 
dred and  five  years. 

James  was  born  in  Maine,  April  22,  1744,  and  was  educated  by 
his  father,  who  taught  school  for  many  years  in  Berwick.  The 
principles  of  self-government  and  the  right  of  the  colonists,  as  free- 
men, to  resist  the  imposition  of  taxes  other  than  those  which  were 
imposed  by  themselves  and  for  their  own  benefit,  were  taught  him, 
and  deeply  impressed  on  his  young  mind. 

Nearly  all  the  settlers  in  those  days  had  farms,  and  James  was 
wont  to  assist  his  father  on  his  farm,  which  developed  his  muscular 
strength.  One  day,  while  felling  a  tree,  he  accidentally  injured  his 
leg,  which  left  one  limb  shorter  than  the  other. 

The  weakness  of  his  leg  precluded  hard  manual  labor,  and  he 
commenced  the  study  of  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He 
quickly  attracted  attention  and  practice.  He  was  an  uncompro- 
mising opponent  to  taxation  without  representation,  and  made  a  firm 
stand  against  the  claims  of  the  home  government. 

He  entered  into  the  cause  of  American  freedom  heart  and  soul 
as  the  critical  moment  approached  to  strike  a  blow  for  liberty.  In 
1776  he  was  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  and  held  the 
leading  position  of  a  judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  his  State.  He 
organized  troops  for  State  and  national  defence,  but  his  lameness 
prevented  him  from  assuming  command,  which  his  generous  spirit 
would  have  gladly  accepted  were  it  not  for  that  misfortune.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress  in  1782,  also  a  member  of 
the  Executive  Council  and  Judge  of  Probate.  When  Maine  was 
separated  from  Massachusetts  he  took  up  his  residence  in  the 
latter. 

He  was  elected  to  Congress  from  Massachusetts  in  1788.  He 
became  Attorney-General  of  that  State  in  1790,  and  while  in  that 
position  projected  the  Middlesex  Canal,  and  wrote  the  "  History  of 
the  District  of  Maine,"  which  the  Legislature  ordered  to  be  pub- 
lished. He  was  elected  Governor  of  Massachusetts  in  1807,  and  re- 
elected in  1808,  in  which  year  he  died.  His  son,  Hon.  William 
Sullivan,  was  an  eminent  jurist  and  scholar,  and  wrote  many  valuable 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  173 

works.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  for 
nearly  twenty-six  years,  and  died  in  1839. 

The  mother  of  General  Sullivan  was  a  woman  of  great  energy 
and  spirit.  There  is  a  story  told  of  a  visit  which  she  paid  to  her 
distinguished  son  when  he  was  Governor  'of  New  Hampshire,  and 
had  as  a  guest  his  brother  John.  The  servant,  not  knowing  her, 
replied  that  she  could  not  see  the  Governor  —  he  was  engaged. 
"  But  I  must  see  him,"  said  the  old  lady.  —  "Then,  madam,  you  will 
please  to  wait  in  the  ante-room." — "  Tell  your  master,"  said  she, 
sweeping  out  of  the  hall,  "  that  the  mother  of  two  of  the  greatest 
men  in  America  will  not  wait  in  any  one's  ante-room."  The  Gov- 
ernor having  called  his  servant,  on  hearing  the  report  said  to  his 
brother,  "James,  let  us  run  after  her;  it's  my  mother  for  cer- 
tain." Accordingly  the  two  governors  sallied  out,  and  soon  over- 
took and  made  their  peace  with  the  indignant  but  easily  mollified 
lady. 

As  a  lawyer,  Gov.  James  Sullivan  ranked  among  the  very  first, 
and  he  was  retained  in  the  most  important  cases  which  were  within 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  courts  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts 
at  that  time.  A  proof  of  his  ability  is  manifested  in  his  success  over 
his  able  opponents  who  were  the  legal  luminaries  of  his  day.  They 
were  such  men  as  Dexter,  Otis,  Dana,  and  Parsons,  to  none  of  whom 
he  was  second.  He  had  a  commanding  presence  and  dignity;  deep 
thought  shone  from  his  fine,  expressive  face.  His  distinguishing 
characteristics  of  mind  were  force,  comprehensiveness,  and  repressed, 
but  intense,  ardor;  nothing  escaped  the  piercing  intensity  of  his 
scrutiny.  His  arguments  were  clear,  close,  pointed,  and  forcible, 
and  always  directed  towards  pertinent  results, — no  verbosity  or  clap- 
trap for  admiration,  but  aimed  to  secure  conviction.  Although  he 
seldom  summoned  up  his  pathetic  powers,  he  did  not  lack  this  char- 
acteristic of  his  race,  for  it  is  said  that  when  he  adopted  pathos  it 
proved  as  intense  and  irresistible  as  his  other  masterly  qualities. 
Among  the  works  which  he  left  are  "A  History  of  the  District  of 
Maine,"  "  A  Dissertation  on  Banks "  and  on  the  "  Durability  of 
States,"  "  History  of  Land   Titles  in  Massachusetts,"  "  The  Consti- 


174  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

tutional  Liberty  of  the  Press,"  "  History  of  the  Penobscot  Indians," 
etc.  He  was  a  man  of  solid  and  extensive  acquirements,  and  was 
honored  by  one  of  the  great  seats  of  learning  with  the  degree  of 
LL.D.     Some  of  his  descendants  are  among  living  Bostonians. 

ROBERT  TREAT  PAINE. 

Robert  Treat  Paine,  according  to  very  reliable  authorities, 
was  of  Irish  descent.  O'Hart  tells  us  that  "  Henry  O'Neill,  of 
Dungannon,  born  in  1665,  sixth  in  descent  from  Shane  the  Proud, 
Prince  of  Ulster,  and  cousin  of  Sir  Neal  O'Neill,  who  was  killed 
at  the  battle  of  the  Boyne,  changed  his  name  to  Paine,  which 
was  that  of  a  maternal  ancestor,  after  the  surrender  of  Limerick,  in 
order  to  preserve  a  portion  of  his  estates.  He  entered  the  British 
army,  obtained  grants  of  land  in  Cork  County  and  other  parts  of 
Ireland,  and  was  killed  in  1698  at  Foxford,  in  Mayo.  His  youngest 
brother,  Robert,  who  also  took  the  name  of  Paine,  emigrated  to 
America  a  little  before  the  occurrence  alluded  to.  He  was  the 
grandfather  of  Robert  Treat  Paine,"  the  signer  of  the  Declaration, 
who  was  born  at  Boston,  March  11,  173 1.  He  graduated  at  Har- 
vard, where  he  studied  theology  in  1749,  and  acted  as  chaplain,  in 
1755,  of  the  Provincial  troops  on  the  northern  frontier.  A  little 
later  he  visited  Europe,  and  on  his  return  studied  law,  settling,  in 
1 759,  at  Taunton,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  for  several  years.  He 
was  one  of  the  delegates  in  1768  to  the  convention  called  by  prom- 
inent men  in  Boston,  when  Governor  Bernard  dissolved  the  General 
Court  for  refusing  to  rescind  the  circular  letter  sent  to  the  other 
colonies. 

He  conducted  the  prosecution  of  the  English  captain,  Preston, 
and  eight  of  his  soldiers,  when  they  were  tried  for  their  murderous 
work  in  the  "Boston  Massacre"  of  March  5,  1770.  In  1773  and 
the  year  following,  he  was  elected  to  the  General  Assembly  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress 
from  1774  to  1778,  voting  for,  and  signing,  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence.    When,  in  1780,  the  State  Constitution  of  Massachusetts 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  175 

was  adopted,  he  was  made  Attorney-General,  which  office  he  held 
until  1790,  when  he  became  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court.  In 
1804  he  resigned  his  position,  on  account  of  deafness  and  other 
infirmities  of  age,  and  died  in  1 8 14,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three. 
O'Hart  says  that  beside  Henry  and  Robert  O'Neill,  —  Paine's  ances- 
tors, —  there  were  two  other  brothers,  Brian  and  John,  who  went  to 
France  after  Sarsfield's  surrender,  and  finally  settled  in  Portugal. 
Eight  of  their  descendants,  in  1807,  when  the  French  invaded  the 
last-named  country,  went  with  the  royal  family  of  Braganza  to  Brazil, 
where  many  of  their  offspring  are  now  to  be  found. 


THE    CREHORE   FAMILY. 

Teague  Crehore  —  according  to  Savage's  "  Genealogical  Diction- 
ary"—  was  the  earliest  known  person  who  bore  this  name,  and  he 
resided  in  Milton  or  Dorchester  some  time  during  the  decade  of 
1640-50. 

He  is  said  to  have  been  stolen  from  his  parents  in  Ireland,  and 
he  was  "  a  mere  child  at  the  time."  His  name  does  not  correspond 
orthographically  with  any  Irish  name,  but,  phonetically,  the  old- 
fashioned  pronunciation,  aspirating  the  "  h  "  and  accenting  the  last 
syllable,  corresponds  with  that  of  the  Irish  surname  Krehan  or 
Krahan.  The  more  modern  pronunciation  is  the  reverse  of  the  old, 
and  corresponds  with  Creogh. 

The  earliest  written  evidence  of  Teague  Crehore  is  an  unre- 
corded deed  from  John  Gill  to  him  of  a  parcel  of  salt-marsh, 
December,  1660.  In  1670  he  sold  to  Robert  Bodcock  a  piece  of 
land  near  Paul's  Bridge,  described  as  purchased  by  him  from  John 
Smith.  His  deed  to  Bodcock  is  upon  record,  Suffolk  Records,  lib. 
7,  fol.  281.  This  land  was  near  Paul's  Bridge.  He  married,  proba- 
bly about  1665,  Mary,  said  to  have  been  the  daughter  of  Robert 
Spurr,  of  Dorchester.  His  death  is  recorded  in  Milton  Records, 
Jan.  3,  1695,  aged  fifty-five  years.  His  widow  administered,  and 
the    inventory,    etc.,    are    found    in    Suffolk   Probate    Records,   lib. 


176  THE  IRISH   IN  BOSTON. 

10,  fol.  723.       She  married  Matthias  Puffer,  of  Stoughton,  May  14, 
1697. 

Teague  left  five  living  children.  Timothy,  the  ancestor,  proba- 
bly, of  those  bearing  the  name  of  Crehore,  born  Oct.  18,  1666, 
who  married,  Feb.  10,  1688,  Ruth  Riol  (Ryall),  of  Dorchester. 
He  died  Aug.  15,  1739,  and  his  headstone  is  in  the  Crehore  lot, 
Milton  cemetery.  Another  son,  Benjamin,  also  survived  Teague, 
but  no  record  appears  of  his  having  married.  Three  daughters, 
Ann,  Rebecca,  and  Mary,  married,  respectively,  Ebenezer  Maxwell, 
of  Bristol,  Robert  Pelton,  of  Dorchester,  and  Henry  Glover,  of 
Bristol.  In  17 14,  the  four  last  named  united  in  conveyance  of  their 
share  of  the  paternal  estate  to  their  brother  Timothy  (Suffolk  Rec- 
ords, lib.  29,  fol.  186). 

The  records  show  that  Timothy  added  considerably  to  the 
paternal  estate.  He  had  a  numerous  family,  ten  in  all,  only  two  of 
whom  seemed  to  have  continued  the  name,  —  Timothy,  3d,  and 
John.  The  latter,  who  bore  the  title  of  "  captain,"  was  the  head  of 
a  single  line  of  males,  all  bearing  the  same  name,  who  lived  upon  a 
part  of  the  paternal  estate,  terminating,  in  the  sixth  generation 
(from  Teague),  with  the  death  of  John  Arnold  Crehore,  who  died 
Jan.  21,  1677,  leaving  no  issue. 

Timothy,  3d,  like  his  father,  was  the  progenitor  of  all  now 
bearing  the  name  of  Crehore.  He  was  born  Dec.  3,  1689, 
married  Mary  Driscoll,  of  Dorchester,  Dec.  24,  1712,  and  died 
Dec.  26,  1755.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  lived  upon  a  portion  of 
his  father's  farm,  bordering  the  river,  near  Paul's  Bridge,  and  is 
buried  in  Milton  cemetery.  He  had  three  daughters,  two  of  whom 
died  young;  the  other,  Hepsibah,  with  his  sons,  Jedediah  and 
William,  inherited  his  property,  and  the  deed  of  partition,  tri-partite, 
is  now  in  possession  of  the  family. 

Jedediah  lived  on  the  estate  of  which  he  had  become  possessed, 
and  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  his  third  son,  John  Shepard,  whose 
sons,  Charles  C.  and  Jeremiah,  resided  on  it  as  late  as  1844. 

The  house  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Lyman  Davenport,  the  one  by 
Mrs.  Green,  and  the  next,  adjoining  the  Bent  property,  are  all  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  177 

them  situated  upon  this  estate.  William  also  had  a  number  of 
descendants,  one  of  whom,  Thomas  Crehore,  lived  in  Milton,  and 
was  a  well-known  citizen.  None  of  the  family  now  bearing  the 
name  are  residents  of  the  town.1 


REV.   JOHN  LYFORD. 

Earlier  than  the  time  when  so  much  commotion  was  caused  in 
England  by  the  many  Irish  people  who  had  come  to  this  country, 
and  still  desired  to  emigrate,  we  have  on  record  in  Savage's  "  Gen- 
ealogical Dictionary  "  and  Hubbard's  "  History  "  an  account  of  the 
advent  of  John  Lyford. 

It  may  be  said  that  "  the  Lords  of  the  Committee  for  Foreign 
Plantations,"  as  early  as  1634,  caused  warrants  to  issue  to  stay  the 
ships  bearing  Irish  immigrants ;  but  on  petition  of  the  ship  captains, 
who  stated  the  prospective  wealth  that  would  accrue  to  England  by 
the  settlement  and  development  of  the  colonies  in  Newfoundland, 
the  vessels  were  released. 

John  Lyford  came  from  Ireland,  and  arrived  in  Plymouth  in 
1624.  He  landed  there  with  Winslow  on  the  ship  "  Charity." 
Lyford  was  hired  by  the  "Adventurers "  of  London,  approved  of 
by  them  as  an  able  minister  who  was  willing  to  risk  his  life  in 
a  wilderness,  and  with  his  family,  who  came  with  him,  to  heroically 
endure  many  hardships  in  a  strange  land,  that  he  might  enjoy  the 
liberty  of  his  own  judgment  in  matters  of  religion. 

He  discovered  a  great  difference  between  religious  Ireland  and 
the  religious  tenets  of  Plymouth.  The  Pilgrims  disliked  his  teach- 
ings, many  of  whom  had  been  previously  taught  by  Robinson.  It 
is  thought  that  Lyford  travelled  over  much  territory  adjacent  to 
Plymouth,  and  passed  through  Boston,  preaching  and  exhorting 
persons  to  accept  his  instructions. 

1  The  History  of  Milton,  Teele. 


178  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


WILLIAM   HIBBINS. 


He  was  one  of  the  Irish  pioneers  of  the  New  England  colony.  He 
emigrated  from  Ireland  on  board  the  "  Mary  and  John,"  and  arrived 
here  in  1634.  He  married  a  widow  named  Mrs.  Anne  Moore,  who 
"was  a  sister  of  Richard  Bellingham,  Governor  of  Massachusetts.1 

William  Hibbins  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  the  towns-people 
of  Boston,  and  as  a  magistrate  and  an  agent  of  the  colony  in  England 
he  was  regarded  by  the  colonists  as  an  important  man.  He  is  re- 
puted to  have  been  possessed  of  wealth,  which  doubtless  added  to 
his  popularity  here. 

He  died  in  1654.  Mrs.  Hibbins  died  by  hanging  in  1656,  by 
order  of  the  General  Court,  to  expiate  her  alleged  crime  of  witchcraft. 

No  jury  could  be  found  to  convict  her,  and  she  suffered  death 
at  the  hands  of  the  ignorant  and  prejudiced  authorities.  She  be- 
queathed her  property  to  her  two  sons  in  Ireland,  —  John  and  Joseph 
Moore,  of  Ballyhorick,  in  the  county  of  Cork.2 


BENJAMIN  CREHORE. 

Our  subject  was  a  descendant  of  old  Teague  Crehore,  of  Ireland. 
Benjamin  Crehore  was  born  in  Milton,  and  always  lived  there;  his 
many  business  transactions  in  Boston,  as  well  as  his  constant  inter- 
course with  the  Boston  men  of  his  day,  made  him  notable. 

Remarkable  as  it  may  appear,  Benjamin  Crehore  manufactured 
the  first  bass-viols  ever  made  in  this  country,  and  it  came  about  in 
this  way:  In  1798  he  was  engaged  by  the  proprietors  of  the  old 
Federal-street  Theatre  to  assist  in  constructing  the  mechanical  stage 
appliances  for  the  play  of  the  "  Forty  Thieves,"  then  in  rehearsal. 

He  showed  much  inventiveness  and  skill  in  the  nice  adjustment 

1  Bellingham  (Richard),  colonial  deputy  from  1635  to  1636;  1640  to  1641 ;  1653  to  1654 ;  and 
1655  to  1665  ;  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  1641,  1654,  1665  ;  born  1592 ;  died  1672.  He  was  a  law- 
yer, and  one  of  the  original  patentees  of  the  colony. 

See  Suffolk  Deeds,  vol.  viii.,  fol.  83,  84;  also  fol.  180-183. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  179 

and  execution  of  the  intricate  details  of  stage  machinery,  which 
greatly  pleased  the  managers,  and  later,  his  services  were  demanded 
frequently.  The  leader  of  the  orchestra,  whose  name  was  Peter  von 
Hagen,  came  to  him  one  day  with  a  broken  bass-viol,  which  had 
been  considered  useless,  no  one  being  found  to  mend  it,  and  the 
band  needed  it  greatly. 

Mr.  Crehore's  ingenuity  received  quite  a  test  when  he  under- 
took to  repair  the  instrument,  for  he  was  wholly  unused  to  the  work. 
He  successfully  repaired  the  viol,  however,  and  it  was  pronounced  by 
musicians  to  be  improved  in  tone.  This  led  to  his  commencing  the 
manufacture  of  bass-viols  in  this  country,  and  they  rivalled  those  im- 
ported from  other  lands.  Mr.  John  Preston,  of  Hyde  Park,  Mass., 
possessed  one  of  these  instruments. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  Deacon  Nathan 
Martin  C.  Martin,  the  Milton  postmaster  for  many  years,  a  singer  of 
note  and  a  good  musician,  was  on  a  visit  at  Thomaston,  Me.  On  a 
certain  Sunday  he  attended  divine  service  there,  and  was  invited  to 
a  seat  in  the  choir,  where  he  found  a  large  bass-viol,  which  he  tried, 
before  the  beginning  of  the  religious  services,  and  highly  praised  its 
superior  tone. 

The  man  who  played  the  instrument  told  Deacon  Martin  that 
it  was  valued  highly,  not  only  on  account  of  its  fine  tone,  but  also  for 
its  antiquity.  "  Ah,"  said  Deacon  Martin,  "  an  old  instrument,  is  it?  " 
—  "  Yes,"  said  the  musician,  "  a  very  old  instrument ;  we  do  not  know 
exactly  how  old,  but  it  is  something  more  than  two  hundred  years 
old."  This  aroused  the  curiosity  of  the  deacon,  who  was  an  anti- 
quarian, to  examine  it  minutely,  and  peering  through  the  sound-holes, 
he  read  on  a  piece  of  paper  pasted  within,1  — 


BEN    CREHORE,     MAKER,    MILTON. 


Mr.  Crehore's  shop  in  Milton  soon  became  the  repository  of  un- 
repaired musical  instruments  of  varied  descriptions  and  kinds,  and, 

1  History  of  Milton,  Teele. 


180  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

strange  to  relate,  a  piano- forte  was  among  these.  His  ready  tact  and 
skill  served  him  in  mastering  a  knowledge  of  this,  as  of  other  things 
which  required  much  patience  and  perseverance. 

Its  parts,  mechanism,  and  movements  were  all  familiar  to  him  in 
a  short  time,  and  he  began  the  manufacture  of  this  popular  instrument. 

"  The  first  piano-forte  made  in  the  United  States  was  manufactured 
by  Benjamin  Crehore,  in  his  shop  at  Milton,  A.D.  1800."  l 

Benjamin  Crehore  had  planted  the  seed  of  an  enterprise  which 
to-day  is  as  extensive  as  our  continent.  One  of  the  largest  and  most 
successful  piano  manufactories  in  America  sprung  from  his  humble 
beginning.  The  inventive  talent  of  Mr.  Crehore  could  not  lie  dor- 
mant, and  he  sought  some  new  venture  after  having  transferred  the 
piano  business  over  to  Lewis  Babcock,  a  Milton  boy  who  had  been 
apprenticed  to  him,  and  also  William  and  Adam  Bent,  who  had  been 
employed  by  him  in  the  making  of  pianos.  The  War  of  1812  had 
come  to  an  end,  when  Dean  Weymouth,  a  Southerner,  who  had  lost 
his  left  leg  in  the  service  of  his  native  land,  took  up  residence  in 
Milton  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  an  education  that  would  be  suit- 
able for  the  condition  of  things  then  existing.  He  had  a  charming 
manner  and  an  attractive  and  gentlemanly  bearing,  which  made  him 
many  friends.  Among  these  was  Benjamin  Crehore,  who  conceived 
that  the  best  way  in  which  he  could  befriend  the  young  man  would 
be  by  rendering  aid  to  his  amputated  leg. 

His  idea  was  practically  carried  out,  and  after  much  labor  the 
soldier-student  was  made  happy  by  the  possession  of  a  wooden  leg 
made  by  the  ingenious  Crehore.  The  leg  had  joints  at  the  knee,  at 
the  ankle,  and  in  the  foot,  nicely  adjusted  by  straps,  and  with 
sufficient  elasticity  to  render  its  use  easy  and  comfortable.  Capt. 
Lewis  Vose,  a  saddler  by  trade,  and  Crehore's  neighbor,  supplied  the 
straps,  covering,  and  padding  for  the  leg.  This  invention  created  a 
great  deal  of  talk  at  the  time  of  its  completion,  as  it  was  the  first 
experiment  of  the  kind  ever  made  in  America. 

The  leg  disappeared  after  it  had  been  returned  to  Mr.    Crehore 

1  History  of  Milton,  Teele. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  181 

by  the  soldier-student,  who  could  not  pay  for  it,  and  its  whereabouts 
remain  enshrouded  in  mystery  to  this  day. 


GEORGE   DOWNING. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  son  of  Emmanuel  Downing, 
who  married  a  sister  of  John  Winthrop,  Governor  of  Massachusetts. 
Emmanuel  Downing  arrived  in  this  country  in  1638,  and  his  family 
followed  him  some  years  later.  George  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland, 
in  1624,  and  studied  at  Harvard  College,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  where 
he  graduated  with  the  first  class  which  completed  the  course  of 
study  at  that  institution. 

His  name  appears  on  the  list  of  the  alumni.  He  was  a 
preacher  in  the  army  under  General  Fairfax,  and  was  afterwards 
heard  of  in  the  Scotch  army,  and  as  an  ambassador  in  the  Low 
Countries.  He  captured  three  of  the  regicides  of  Charles  I.,  one  of 
whom  was  his  old  commander,  Key.  In  1654  he  married  Lady 
Frances  Howard,  sister  of  the  first  Earl  of  Carlisle. 


ANTHONY  GULLIVER. 

Anthony  Gulliver  was  born  in  Ireland  in  16 19,  died  in  Milton, 
Nov.  28,  1706.  After  removing  from  Braintree  to  Unquity  in  1646, 
he  bought  land  of  Edward  and  Richard  Hutchinson,  sons  and  heirs 
of  Richard  Hutchinson,  which  was  bounded  north  by  Gulliver's 
Creek.  He  married  Elenor,  daughter  of  Stephen  Kinsley,  who  bore 
him  five  sons  and  four  daughters,  —  Lydia,  born  165  1,  married  James 
Leonard;  Samuel,  born  1653,  died  1676;  Jonathan,  born  Oct.  27, 
1659;  Stephen,  born  1663;  John,  born  Dec.  3,  1669;  Hannah, 
married  Tucker ;  Mary,  married  Atherton ;  Elizabeth,  born  Nov. 
6,   1 67 1  ;   Nathaniel,  born  Nov.  10,  1675,  married  Hanna  Billings. 

About  1850  his  house  stood  on  Squantum  street,  Milton. 
When  the  building  was  demolished,  the  brick  chimney  was  exam- 
ined, and  it  was  found  to  have  been  composed  of  imported  brick, 


182  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

which  bore  the  inscription  "  1680."  The  house  was  at  one  time 
known  as  the  Rawson  House,  —  a  name  adopted  from  David  Raw- 
son,  who  had  married  into  the  Gulliver  family. 

Anthony  Gulliver  became  the  possessor  of  a  large  tract  of  land 
in  the  heart  of  the  town,  most  of  which  is  now  a  part  of  the  estate 
of  Col.  H.  S.  Russell.  This  property  was  owned  and  occupied  by 
the  Gulliver  family  for  many  years,  and  some  of  his  descendants 
have  lived  on  the  land  near  by  ever  since.  Lieut.  Jonathan  Gulliver, 
second  son  of  Anthony,  and  a  leading  man  of  his  day,  married 
Theodora,  daughter  of  Rev.  Peter  Thacher,  the  first  pastor  of  Milton. 
Anthony  Gulliver  was  the  ancestor  of  a  large  number  of  able  and 
influential  men  and  women,  who  have  been  prominent  in  the  history 
of  church  and  town  affairs  of  Milton  for  nearly  two  hundred  years. 

Some  members  of  the  family  still  remain  among  our  citizens. 
Such  forms  of  spelling  the  original  name  often  appear  as :  Caliphar, 
Colliford,  Cullifer,   Gulliwer,  Gouliver,  Gullwer,  Gullifer. 

Capt.  Lemuel  Gulliver,  who  once  lived  at  Algerine  Corner, 
returned  to  Ireland  in  1723,  and  gave  a  glowing  description  of  the 
American  country  to  his  neighbor,  Jonathan  Swift.  Lemuel's 
imagination  was  vivid  and  fanciful,  and  he  turned  it  to  a  quaint 
account  in  this  instance.  He  declared  to  Swift  that  "  the  frogs 
were  as  tall  as  his  knees,  and  had  musical  voices  that  were  guitar- 
like in  their  tones ;  the  mosquitoes'  bills  were  as  long  as  darning- 
needles  ;  "  and  from  these  exaggerated  and  fabulous  accounts  of  the 
country,  the  great  Swift  conceived  and  wrote  the  famous  "  Gulliver's 
Travels,"  which  was  published  in  1726,  displaying  a  unique  union  of 
misanthropy,  satire,  irony,  ingenuity,  and  humor.  In  a  letter  from 
Pope  to  Swift,  dated  23d  March,  1727-28  (Bishop  Warburton's  ed., 
1766,  vol.  ix.,  76),  appears  the  following:  — 

I  send  you  a  very  odd  thing,  a  paper  printed  in  Boston,  in  New  England, 
wherein  you'll  find  a  real  person,  a  member  of  their  Parliament,  of  the  name  of 
Jonathan  Gulliver. 

A  person  of  the  same  name  represented  the  town  of  Milton  in 
the  General  Court  in  1727,  and  received  his  name  in   1659,  before 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  183 

either  of  the  wits  were  born;    although  Pope   happily  adds  that, 
"perhaps  he  was  an  Anabaptist,  unchristened  till  of  full  age." 


JAMES   BOIES. 

James  Boies  was  recognized  as  a  faithful  citizen,  ah  earnest 
patriot,  a  prominent  manufacturer,  and  a  projector  of  many  valuable 
enterprises,  and  one  whose  business  relations  with  his  contemporaries 
were  of  the  most  honorable  kind,  and  of  value  to  the  community  in 
which  he  lived.  Mr.  Boies  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1702,  and  died 
in  Milton,  Mass.,  July  11,  1798,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-six 
years.  He  married  as  second  wife,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Jeremiah 
Smith,  his  fellow-countryman,  and  grandfather  of  Hon.  Henry  L. 
Pierce. 

Mr.  Boies  settled  in  Dorchester  in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  and  in  his  younger  day  he  acted  as  supercargo  on  vessels 
employed  in  bringing  emigrants  from  Ireland  to  New  England.  He 
became  familiarly  known  as  "  Captain  Boies,"  and  had  great  business 
capacity.  On  the  13th  of  September,  1759,  he  was  with  General  Wolfe 
in  the  battle  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham.  In  1775  General  Washington 
appointed  him  to  take  charge  of  the  transportation  of  the  fagots  of 
birch  and  swamp-brush  which  had  been  piled  up  at  Little  Neck  the 
previous  winter.  Captain  Boies  directed  the  work,  and  three  hun- 
dred teams  were  engaged  in  transporting  the  material  to  Dorchester 
Heights,  with  which  they  were  fortified,  and  the  evacuation  of  Boston 
followed.  The  British  army,  under  General  Howe,  numbered  eight 
thousand  troops,  and  they  sailed  for  Halifax  in  a  hundred  and  twenty 
vessels.  Captain  Boies  was  one  of  a  committee  of  three  who  drew 
up  instructions  for  the  representatives  of  Milton  on  May  28,  1776, 
wherein  was  voted  that  the  colony  would  support  the  Continental 
Congress  with  their  lives  and  fortunes  if  it  should  declare  the  United 
Colonies  of  North  America  independent  of  Great  Britain.  And  the 
representatives  were  directed  to  act  accordingly  in  the  General 
Assembly. 


184  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

In  1765  Ebenezer  Storer  sold  his  half  of  the  old  powder-mill 
estate,  in  Milton,  to  James  Boies,  who  in  turn  sold  the  same  to 
Edward  Wentworth,  which  goes  to  show  that  even  at  that  early  time 
Irishmen  were  among  the  thrifty  and  energetic  land-owners.  In  the 
same  year  he  built  a  paper-mill  on  the  slitting-mill  site,  and  conveyed 
to  Richard  Clark.  The  old  house  near  the  paper-mill  at  Mattapan 
was  built  by  Captain  Boies  for  his  own  residence ;  soon  after  he  pur- 
chased the  mill  estate,  June  29,  1765,  he  conveyed  to  Richard  Clark 
the  "  northerly  half  of  the  dwelling-house  in  which  he  lived,  and  six 
acres  of  pasture-land  bounded  northerly  on  the  ditch."  Mr.  Boies 
was  interested  in  paper-mills  and  the  manufacture  of  paper  as  early 
as  1760,  when  he  had  secured  the  services  of  Richard  Clark,  a  skilful 
workman,  who  conducted  the  business  with  ability  for  five  years,  when, 
in  company  with  Mr.  Boies,  he  started  the  paper  business  in  a  new 
mill  at  Mattapan. 

In  1778  Mr.  Boies  bought  the  slitting-mill  property,  which  was 
the  first  mill  started  in  the  provinces  for  slitting  iron.  His  son-in- 
law,  Hugh  McLean,  had  been  in  partnership  with  him  since  1771,  and 
in  1790  they  made  partition  of  their  business,  and  it  fell  to  Mr. 
McLean. 

Jeremiah  Smith,  Hugh  McLean,  and  James  Boies  may  be  said 
to  be  the  founders  and  early  promoters  of  the  paper  industry  of 
Dorchester. 

About  1795  a  young  man  from  New  Jersey,  named  Mark 
Hollingsworth,  was  given  employment  in  one  of  these  mills,  and 
after  the  deaths  of  Boies  and  McLean  he,  in  company  with  Edward 
Tileston,  became  possessed  of  the  mills  and  water  privileges.  The 
descendants  of  Messrs.  Tileston  and  Hollingsworth  carry  on  the 
business  to  this  day  in  the  same  locality. 

James  Boies  was  the  father  of  Jeremiah  Smith  Boies,  who  grad- 
uated at  Harvard  College  in  1783.  He  was  for  a  time  engaged  in 
manufacturing  with  his  father,  on  the  Neponset  river.  After  his 
father's  death,  however,  he  sold  out,  moved  to  Boston,  and  was 
elected  an  alderman. 

The  following   quaint   advertisement  is  from  the  "  Boston  News 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  185 

Letter"  of  March  23,  1769,  which  was  the   method  of  getting  stock 
for  the  paper-mill  of  James  Boies:  — 

Advertisement.  —  The  Bell  Cart  will  go  through  Boston  before  the  end  of 
next  month  to  collect  Rags  for  the  Paper  Mills  at  Milton,  when  all  people  that  will 
encourage  the  Paper  Manufacture  may  dispose  of  them.  They  are  taken  in  at  Mr. 
Caleb  Davis'  Shop  at  the  Fortification ;  Mr.  Andrew  Gillespie's,  near  Dr.  Clark's ; 
Mr.  Andreas  Randal's,  near  Phillip's  Wharf;  and  Mr.  John  Boris'  in  Long  Lane ; 
Mr.  Frothingham's  in  Charlestown ;  Mr.  Edson's,  in  Salem,  Mr.  John  Hariss1,  in 
Newbury ;  Mr.  Daniel  Fowle's  in  Portsmouth  ;  and  the  Paper  Mill  at  Milton. 

Rags  are  beauties  which  concealed  lie; 
But  when  in  paper  how  it  charms  the  eye ! 
Pray  save  your  rags,  new  beauties  to  discover, 
For  of  paper  truly  every  one's  a  lover. 
By  pen  and  press  such  knowledge  is  displayed 
As  wouldn't  exist  if  paper  was  not  made ; 
Wisdom  of  things  mysterious,  divine, 
Illustriously  doth  on  paper  shine. 

Early  New  England  manufacturers  were  dependent  on  English 
artisans,  in  a  great  measure,  for  skilled  work  in  special  lines  of  pro- 
duction, as  but  few  in  this  country  knew  the  business.  The  paper 
industry  stood  in  greater  need  of  American  workmen  than  almost 
any  other,  and  the  importance  and  immense  value  to  be  attached 
to  the-  successful  efforts  and  enterprise  of  the  three  Irishmen  who 
fathered  the  movement  can  never  be  overestimated. 

James  Boies  and  Hugh  McLean  petitioned  the  Congress  of  the 
Province  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay,  assembled  at  Watertown,  on 
May  15,  1775,  that  John  Slater,  James  Colder,  William  Durant,  and 
William  Pierce,  then  enlisted  in  the  provincial  army,  be  released 
from  the  service,  as  they  had  attained  so  great  a  knowledge  of  the 
art  of  paper-making  that  their  attendance  in  the  business  was  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  its  being  carried  on.  These  men  had  worked  at 
the  petitioners'  mills  for  two  years  previous  to  1775,  and  it  was 
deemed  necessary  to  obtain  their  services  again.  On  the  following 
day  Boies  and  McLean  received  a  favorable  reply  from  the  Provin- 
cial Congress,  and  their  petition  was  granted. 


186  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

JEREMIAH   SMITH. 

Jeremiah  Smith  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1705.  In  1726  he  came 
to  Boston  with  his  wife,  and  in  1737  moved  to  Milton.  He  was  a 
neighbor  and  intimate  friend  of  Governor  Hutchinson,  with  whom 
he  was  a  great  favorite.  Mr.  Smith  was  also  very  intimate  with 
Governor  Hancock,  at  whose  hospitable  board  the  wits  of  the  day 
were  ever  welcome,  and  Mr.  Smith  was  never  absent,  except  volun- 
tarily. He  was  the  grandfather  of  Hon.  Henry  L.  Pierce  and 
Edmund  J.  Barker,  of  Dorchester;  also,  great-grandfather  of  ex- 
Governor  Henry  J.  Gardner.     His  death  occurred  at  Milton,  in  1790. 

On  Sept.  13,  1728,  the  General  Court  passed  an  act  granting  the 
exclusive  privilege  to  make  paper  in  this  province  for  a  term  of  ten 
years  to  some  Boston  merchants.  Among  them  were  Thomas  Han- 
cock and  Benjamin  Faneuil.  A  fine  of  twenty  shillings  was  imposed 
on  every  ream  manufactured  by  anybody  else.  These  gentlemen 
leased  a  building  at  what  is  now  Milton  Lower  Mills.  Henry  Deer- 
ing  acted  as  agent  and  superintendent.  These  gentlemen  carried  on 
the  business  until  1737,  when  it  came  under  the  superintendency  of 
Jeremiah  Smith. 

In  1 741  he  was  enabled  to  purchase  the  mill  from  the  heirs  of 
Rev.  Joseph  Belcher,  of  Dedham,  with  seven  acres  of  land  laying  on 
both  sides  of  the  Neponset  river,  and  bounded  by  the  public  landing 
and  also  the  county  road.  Mr.  Smith  continued  to  carry  on  the 
business  until  1775,  when,  having  accumulated  a  fortune,  he  sold  out 
to  his  son-in-law,  Daniel  Vose,  and  retired  from  active  business.  If 
to  Mr.  Smith  belongs  the  credit  of  being  the  first  individual  paper 
manufacturer,  to  others  of  his  countrymen  is  due  the  fact  that  the 
Neponset  river  was  made  by  them  the  basis  of  paper  manufacturing 
in  the  North  American  colonies,  which,  in  a  measure,  lasts  to  this 
day. 

JOHN  HANNAN. 

One  morning,  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1764,  a  distressed  wayfarer 
was   seen   sitting   upon    a   rock   at  the   Lower  Mills,  in  Dorchester, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  187 

weeping;  he  attracted  the  interest  and  sympathy  of  a  benevolent 
individual.  The  latter  inquired  into  his  circumstances,  and  learned 
that  his  name  was  John  Hannan,  an  Irishman.  He  was  a  chocolate- 
maker  by  trade,  and  reported  that  he  had  come  to  this  country  to 
improve  his  condition,  —  that  he  was  friendless,  homeless,  and 
penniless. 

The  sympathetic  stranger  referred  him  to  Mr.  James  Boies,  as 
an  Irishman  of  ample  means,  who,  with  Messrs.  Wentworth  &  Storer, 
were  constructing  mills  up  the  stream.  Mr.  Boies  carefully  ques- 
tioned him,  and,  satisfied  with  the  truthfulness  of  his  story,  as  well 
as  inspired  with  confidence  in  Hannan's  ability,  employed  him. 
Messrs.  Boies,  Wentworth,  and  Storer  were  then  erecting  a  new  mill 
on  the  site  of  the  old  powder-mill  in  Milton,  and  these  gentlemen 
became  interested  benefactors  of  John  Hannan.  Boies  built  a 
chocolate-mill  for  Hannan,  on  the  spot  where  now  stands  the 
famous,  spacious,  and  commodious  chocolate  establishment  of 
Henry  L.  Pierce,  the  descendant  of  an  Irish  settler  named  Jere- 
miah Smith;  and  on  that  site,  in  the  spring  of  1765,  John  Hannan 
manufactured  the  first  chocolate  made  in  the  British  Provinces  of 
North  America. 

In  1768  Barlow  Trecothic  bought  the  mill  property,  and  Han- 
nan was  compelled  to  leave.  He  opened  a  small  shop  in  Boston,  — 
by  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Edward  Preston,  who  put  one  kettle 
and  other  necessary  apparatus  into  his  fulling-mill  in  Dorchester*- 
and  there  made  chocolate  for  him  until  1775,  when  a  fire  destroyed 
the  building.  Hannan  then  hired  the  mill  in  which  he  was  at  first 
employed,  of  the  agent  of  the  trustees  of  Trecothic,  who  had  died  in 
London,  and  engaged  in  the  chocolate  business  on  his  own  account. 
He  employed  a  boy  named  Nathaniel  Blake,  to  learn  the  business. 
Hannan  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Gore,  of  Boston,  in  1773,  and 
they  selected  Dorchester  as  a  place  of  residence. 

His  married  life  was  unhappy  and  unfortunate,  and  so  affected 
him  that  he  left  his  wife,  after  closing  his  business,  in  1779.  He 
caused  a  false  report  to  be  circulated  about  his  departure  for  the 
West  Indies  to  purchase  cocoa ;    but,   in  reality,  he  had  started  for 


188  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

Ireland,  never  to  come  back.  He  was  never  heard  from  afterwards, 
and  it  is  conjectured  that  he  was  drowned  at  sea,  or  died  on  the  pas- 
sage, without  having  revealed  his  true  name.  The  widow  Hannan 
attempted  to  carry  on  the  making  of  chocolate,  by  the  assistance  of 
the  Blake  boy.  The  boy,  like  her  late  husband,  took  to  his  heels, 
and  fled  the  premises,  unable  to  tolerate  her  disposition. 

It  may  be  well  to  add  that  the  importance  of  the  industrial 
event  introduced  by  John  Hannan  can  be  readily  seen  and  appre- 
ciated to-day.  From  the  year  1765,  when  this  Irishman  first  started 
his  valuable  enterprise,  the  industry  has  steadily  grown,  until  now  its 
vastness  is  as  extensive  as  the  continent.  Its  influence  is  felt  through- 
out the  great  commercial  centres  of  the  world.  Dr.  James  Baker 
took  up  the  business  in  1772,  and  the  honorable  and  successful 
record  of  the  house  under  the  late  management  of  our  ex-Mayor 
Henry  L.  Pierce  is  well  known,  and  bids  us  look  back  into  the  days 
of  Irish  John  Hannan,  to  whose  knowledge  and  labors  in  the  incep- 
tion of  this  immense  business  we  are  indebted. 


HUGH   McLEAN. 

Hugh  McLean  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1724.  In  his  younger 
days  he  followed  the  sea.  While  in  this  occupation  he  became 
acquainted  with  his  countryman,  Captain  Boies,  and  was  induced  to 
settle  in  Milton.  It  was  during  his  residence  in  Milton  that  Mr. 
McLean  married  Agnes,  a  daughter  of  Captain  Boies.  While  in 
partnership  with  his  father-in-law  he  accumulated  a  considerable 
fortune.  He  was  father  of  John  McLean,  the  benefactor  of  Harvard 
College  and  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital. 

Hugh  McLean  owned  and  occupied  the  Jackson  house,  at  Milton 
Upper  Mills,  on  the  west  side  of  Blue  Hill  avenue,  now  owned  by 
the  heirs  of  George  Hollingsworth,  where  he  resided  during  his  life. 
He  died  in  Milton,  December,  1799,  at  the  good  old  age  of  seventy- 
five  years. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES  189 


JOHN  McLEAN. 


This  benevolent  public  benefactor,  humanitarian,  and  worthy 
son  of  a  worthy  Irish  father  and  Irish-American  mother,  was  born  in 
Milton  in  1 76 1.  At  the  time  of  John  McLean's  birth,  his  mother 
was  the  guest  of  Jeremiah  Smith,  at  Milton  Lower  Falls.  His  father 
was  then  at  St.  George,  transacting  business  of  importance.  She 
preferred  to  remain  among  her  kindred  until  his  return,  for  the  Smith, 
Boies,  and  McLean  families  were  most  intimately  affiliated  by  race 
ties  and  relationship. 

President  Quincy,  in  his  "  History  of  Harvard  College,"  states 
that  John  McLean  was  born  in  St.  George.  He  lived  at  Milton 
with  his  father  until  he  reached  man's  estate,  and  married  Ann 
Amory,  of  the  honorable  and  respected  Amory  family  of  Boston. 
Business  adversity  embarrassed  Mr.  McLean  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  which  was  caused  by  an  unfortunate 
decree  of  the  French  Council. 

A  few  years  later  he  invited  all  of  his  creditors  to  a  supper  at 
the  Exchange  Coffee  House,  in  Boston,  where  the  sterling  integrity 
which  was  the  basis  of  his  noble  character  manifested  itself  by  a  most 
pleasing  and  substantial  act.  When  his  guests  assembled  at  the 
table  every  man  found  under  his  plate  a  check  for  the  full  amount  of 
his  debt,  principal  and  interest. 

His  handsome  countenance  and  commanding  figure  were  very 
much  admired,  and  the  magnetic  quality  of  his  social  and  genial 
nature  captivated  those  who  had  the  honor  of  his  acquaintance  or 
friendship.  He  was  rarely  seen  walking  in  the  streets  of  Boston  for 
several  years,  having  become  afflicted  with  the  gout,  which  compelled 
him  to  ride  in  his  carriage  whenever  he  desired  an  outing. 

The  War  of  18 12  had  scarcely  begun  when  he  was  actively 
engaged  in  molasses  speculation,  and  he  bought  all  of  this  article 
that  could  be  purchased,  held  it  until  its  value  rose,  and  cleared 
$100,000  out  of  this  enterprise. 

The  Massachusetts  General  Hospital  and  Harvard  College  are 


r~ 


190  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

monumental  edifices  to  his  memory  and  generosity.  He  made  the 
former  his  residuary  legatee.  The  Massachusetts  General  Hospital, 
at  the  time  of  incorporation,  was  given  $100,000  by  the  State,  to 
fund  it,  with  the  stipulation  that  it  might  bear  the  name  of  any  bene- 
factor who  should  contribute  a  large  sum.  Mr.  McLean's  legacy 
was  in  excess  of  that  amount.  Notwithstanding,  instead  of  justly 
inscribing  his  name  on  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital,  they 
placed  it  on  the  institution  for  the  insane  at  "  Barrels  Farm,"  the 
"  McLean  Asylum  for  the  Insane."  The  sum  of  $43,062.93  has 
been  realized  from  his  bequests  to  Harvard  College  to  the  year  1886. 

He  left  many  private  legacies,  amounting  to  many  thousands  of 
dollars.  He  made  the  minister  and  deacons  of  the  First  Church, 
Milton,  the  legatees  of  a  trust  fund  of  $2,000,  the  income  of  which 
is  annually  given  to  the  poor ;  and  the  same  sum  was  bequeathed  to 
the  Federal-street  Church,  Boston,  to  be  used  for  a  similar  object. 

On  Blue  Hill  avenue,  to-day,  can  be  seen  many  milestones 
bearing  these  words,  "J.  McLean,  1823."  He  requested  Mr.  Isaac 
Davenport,  his  partner  in  business,  to  place  them  at  certain  distances 
along  the  road  ;  and,  after  Mr.  McLean's  death,  which  occurred  before 
the  work  was  finished,  his  name  was  inscribed  on  these  distance 
indices  by  Mr.  Davenport's  instructions.  Should  the  reader  ever 
pass  that  way,  let  him  reflect  upon  the  good  life  of  John  McLean, 
whose  Irish  heart  was  warm,  and  throbbed  as  fast  for  his  fellow-man 
as  any  of  his  race,  and  no  hand  was  ever  more  ready  to  extend  relief 
to  the  needy  and  suffering.  On  history's  page  will  ever  be  written 
of  him,  He  was  a  noble  man. 

JOHN  SINGLETON  COPLEY. 

This  eminent  American  artist  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1737, 
of  Irish  parents.  He  was  the  son  of  Richard  Copley  and  Mary 
Singleton,  who  had  emigrated  from  the  County  Clare,  Ireland,  on  the 
preceding  year.  Richard  Copley  was  in  poor  health  on  his  arrival 
in  America,  and  went  to  the  West  Indies  to  recuperate  and  improve 
his  failing  strength.     He  died  there  in  1737,  and  his  widow  married 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  191 

Peter  Pelham,  an  engraver  of  Boston,  by  whom  she  had  a  son,  — 
Henry.  John  had  a  strong  penchant  for  art  when  but  a  boy,  and 
developed  it,  uninstructed,  without  models  or  assistance,  either  in 
drawing  or  coloring.  He  had  native  genius,  industry,  and  taste,  by 
which  he  was  aided  in  painting  a  picture  of  his  half-brother,  —  Henry 
Pelham,  —  which  he  sent  to  Benjamin  West,  in  1760,  to  be  entered  in 
the  Royal  Academy,  and  which  West  declared  was  superb  in  color- 
ing, as  well  as  artistic  in  design  and  drawing.  It  was  named  "  The 
Boy  and  the  Flying  Squirrel."  A  flattering  letter  from  West,  urging 
Copley  to  come  to  England  and  make  his  home  with  him  at  his 
house,  strongly  tempted  the  young  artist ;  but  he  resolved  to  remain 
with  his  mother,  and  assist  her  to  maintain  the  family. 

In  1769  he  married  Susannah  Farnum  Clarke,  the  daughter  of  a 
rich  Boston  merchant,  agent  for  the  East  India  Company,  and  the 
consignee  of  the  famous  cargo  of  tea  which  was  steeped  in  Boston 
Harbor  by  an  improved  order  of  Red  Men.  Copley  now  fixed  his 
residence  on  Beacon  Hill,  then  a  charming  and  beautiful  suburb, 
which  included  seven  acres  of  what  is  now  a  densely  populated  part 
of  Boston.  He  pursued  his  art  zealously,  and  with  great  success, 
while  on  this  historic  spot,  and  painted  many  of  the  distinguished 
people  of  his  day.  He  visited  New  York  in  1771,  where  he 
painted    a  miniature   of  Washington. 

He  embarked  for  Europe  in  June,  1774,  to  see  and  study  Euro- 
pean art,  particularly  the  works  of  the  masters.  He  sailed  for 
England,  where  he  remained  sufficiently  long  to  acquaint  himself  with 
the  leading  artists  and  works  of  art,  and  then  passed  into  Italy. 
Here  he  was  enchanted  beyond  expression  with  the  beauties  in 
nature  and  art.  He  remained  in  Rome  some  time,  and  collected  val- 
uable specimens  of  art  in  plaster-casts.  He  was  in  Parma  two 
months,  making  a  copy  of  "  St.  Jerome,"  for  Lord  Grosvenor,  and 
improving  in  art  studies.  This  copy  is  said  to  be  unsurpassed.  In 
June,  1775,  his  wife  and  family,  excepting  an  infant  left  with  his 
mother  in  Boston,  arrived  in  England  on  the  last  vessel  (the  "  Mi- 
nerva," Captain  Callahan)  which  left  Massachusetts  Bay  as  a  British 
colony. 


192  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

The  threatening  war  impelled  the  devoted  wife  to  go  to  her  hus- 
band, as  she  knew  art  could  not  flourish  here  during  the  struggle,  and 
she  desired  that  the  development  of  his  genius  might  not  be  retarded. 
Her  father  was  a  Tory,  and  went  to  England ;  that,  too,  induced 
her  to  leave  America  and  join  her  husband.  Copley's  letters  to 
his  mother  show  him  to  have  been  in  sympathy  with  the  cause  of 
the  American  colonists,  and  a  strong  defender  of  colonial  rights. 

He  then  predicted  the  triumph  of  the  colonists.  Copley  took 
up  his  residence  in  London  after  having  left  the  continent,  and  made 
his  home  there  with  his  wife  and  children,  who  had  arrived  shortly 
before.  His  brilliant  career  now  began  to  shine  forth  as  a  painter  of 
portraits  and  historical  subjects.  He  was  among  the  first  artists  of 
that  day.  His  works  include  "A  Boy  rescued  from  a  Shark  in  the 
Harbor  of  Havana,"  —  a  most  thrilling  and  life-like  effort,  which  has 
been  engraved  in  mezzotint  by  Val.  Green  ;  "  The  Red  Cross  Knight," 
from  Spencer's  "  Fairy  Queen  ;  "  "  A  Family  Picture,"  representing  his 
own  family,  including  his  father-in-law,  Mr.  Clarke,  —  an  excellent 
work,  and  said  by  connoisseurs  to  equal  Van  Dyke's  best ;  "  The 
Western  Family ;  "  "  The  Three  Princesses,"  daughters  of  George 
III. ;  "  The  Death  of  Lord  Chatham,"  engraved  by  Bartolozzi,  and 
which  increased  the  fame  of  Copley  by  its  realistic  impressiveness 
and  power ;  "  The  Siege  of  Gibraltar,"  painted  for  the  city  of  London, 
in  1790,  and  hanging  in  the  Council  Chamber  of  Guild  Hall  (Copley 
had  the  honors  of  an  academician  conferred  on  him  during  the  same 
year)  ;  "  Charles  I.  demanding  the  Impeached  Members ;  "  "  The 
Death  of  Major  Pierson,"  which  the  Duke  of  Wellington  pronounced 
to  be  the  only  battle-piece  which  faithfully  depicted  the  scene,  or  that 
was  entirely  satisfactory  to  him;  "Abraham's  Sacrifice;"  "  Hagar 
and  Ishmael ;  "  "Saul  reproved  by  Samuel;"  "The  Nativity;" 
"The  Tribute  Money ;  "  "Samuel  and  Eli ;  "  "Monmouth  refusing 
to  give  the  Names  of  his  Accomplices  to  James  II. ;  "  "  The  '  Offer ' 
of  the  Crown  to  Lady  Jane  Grey ;  "  besides  innumerable  others  in 
portraiture,  etc. 

It  was  Copley's  heartfelt  wish  to  return  to  America,  and  again 
establish  his  home  on  Beacon  Hill ;  but  his  property  had  been  alien- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  193 

ated  by  his  Boston  agent,  and  Copley  was  unable  to  secure  pos- 
session. His  son,  who  became  Lord  Lyndhurst,  came  expressly  to 
Boston  to  recover  his  father's  property,  but  failed.  This  son  became 
a  famous  lawyer,  and  afterward  Lord  Chancellor,  and  was  elevated  to 
the  peerage.  Copley  died  in  London,  Sept.  9,  181 5,  aged  seventy- 
eight  years. 

LORD  JOHN  SINGLETON  COPLEY  LYNDHURST. 

He  was  a  distinguished  jurist  and  legislator  of  Great  Britain, 
and  a  son  of  Copley,  the  Irish-American  painter.  He  was  born  in 
Boston,  Mass.,  May  21,  1772.  He  and  his  mother  went  to  England 
in  1774,  and  joined  his  father,  who  was  there  practising  his  profession. 
John  Singleton  Copley  Lyndhurst  graduated  from  Cambridge  in 
1794,  and  became  a  Fellow  at  Trinity  College.  He  came  to 
America  to  recover  the  paternal  estate  which  had  been  hypothe- 
cated by  an  agent,  but  failed ;  for  that  reason  the  family  remained 
in  England.  Our  subject  was  called  to  the  bar  in  1802,  and  won 
distinction. 

He  was  a  sergeant-at-law  in  1813,  and  Chief  Justice  of  Chester 
in  1 8 1 7.  He  entered  Parliament  as  a  Tory  in  1 8 1 8,  and  was  knighted 
and  made  Solicitor-General  in  18 19;  was  counsel  of  George  IV.  in 
the  trial  of  Queen  Catherine,  1820,  and  became  Attorney-General 
in  1823;  represented  Cambridge  in  Parliament  in  1826,  and  was 
made  Master  of  the  Rolls.  In  1827  he  was  appointed  Lord 
Chancellor,  and  raised  to  the  Peerage  as  Baron  Lyndhurst ;  was  Chief 
Baron  of  the  Exchequer  in  1830,  and  High  Steward  of  Cambridge 
University  in  1840.  He  died  in  London,  October  12,  1863.  He 
was  a  bigot ;  he  opposed  Catholic  emancipation,  was  an  ultra  Tory, 
and  the  son  of  a  patriot. 

CHARLES  JACKSON. 

Charles  Jackson,  an  able  and  distinguished  American  jurist,  was 
the  son  of  Jonathan  Jackson,  a  prominent  and  popular  merchant  who 


11J4  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

had  emigrated  with  his  parents  from  Ireland,  and  settled  in  Newbury- 
port,  Mass.,  where  Charles  was  born,  May  31,  1775  ;  died  in  Boston, 
December  13,  1855.  He  graduated  from  Harvard  College  in  1793, 
and  entered  the  law-office  of  Theophilus  Parsons,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years.  He  then  established  an  office,  in  which  he  acquired 
a  lucrative  practice  and  an  enviable  reputation.  He  removed  to 
Boston  in  1803,  and  immediately  became  one  of  the  foremost  law- 
yers of  the  bar. 

He  then  formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  Samuel  Hubbard,  and 
their  business  was  said  to  have  been  the  most  profitable  and  success- 
ful in  New  England  up  to  that  day.  He  was  chosen  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Massachusetts,  which  office  he  held  for  ten  years, 
and  then  resigned  on  account  of  poor  health.  In  1820  he  was  a 
leading  member  of  the  convention  which  amended  the  State  Consti- 
tution, and  in  1832  was  one  of  the  commissioners  to  revise  the  General 
Statutes  of  the  State.  He  published  a  treatise  on  "  Pleadings  and 
Practice  in  Real  Actions,"  and  contributed  many  valuable  papers  to 
American  jurisprudence. 


JAMES  JACKSON. 

James  Jackson,  an  eminent  American  physician,  was  a  younger 
brother  of  Judge  Charles  Jackson ;  he  was  born  in  Newburyport, 
October  3,  1777,  and  studied  at  Harvard  College,  where  he  graduated 
in  1796,  and  afterwards  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  Holyoke,  of  Salem, 
Mass.,  where  he  studied  for  two  years.  He  went  to  London  in 
1802,  and  accepted  the  position  of  dresser  in  St.  Thomas's  Hospital, 
and  attended  the  lectures  at  that  place,  and  also  those  given  at  Guy's 
Hospital.  He  was  abroad  two  years,  returned  to  Boston  and  prac- 
tised his  profession. 

He  was  chosen  Professor  of  Clinical  Medicine  at  Harvard 
College,  and  about  this  time  he  and  Dr.  Warren  were  principals  in 
establishing  an  asylum  for  the  insane  at  Somerville,  Mass.,  and  the 
Massachusetts  General  Hospital  at  Boston,  of  which  he  was  the  first 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  195 

physician.  He  was  made  Professor  of  the  Theory  and  Practice  of 
Medicine  at  Harvard  in  1812,  and  was  for  several  years  President  of 
the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society.  He  wrote  numerous  medical 
works  and  papers ;  among  them,  "  The  Brunonian  System ;  "  "  On 
the  Medical  Effects  of  Dentition,"  1812;  "  On  Cow-pox  and  Small- 
pox; ,:  "On  Spotted  Fever,"  i8i6;"On  Spasmodic  Cholera;" 
"  Syllabus  of  Lectures ;  "  "  Text-Book  of  Lectures,"  1825  ;  "  Letters  to 
a  Young  Physician,"  1855,  etc.;  besides  a  eulogy  on  Dr.  John  C. 
Warren,  181 5,  and  "  A  memoir  of  his  son,  James  Jackson,  Jr.,"  1825. 
Dr.  Jackson  resigned  his  professorship  and  other  positions  in  1835,  and 
attended  to  his  private  practice  solely.  He  died  in  Boston,  Aug.  27, 
1867,  at  a  good  old  age,  honored,  respected,  and  lamented. 

PATRICK  TRACY  JACKSON. 

Patrick  Tracy  Jackson  was  an  eminent  American  merchant, 
the  third  son  of  Jonathan  Jackson,  a  younger  brother  of  Judge 
Charles  and  Dr.  James  Jackson.  He  was  born  in  Newburyport, 
Mass.,  Aug.  14,  1780.  His  education  was  practical,  and  he  en- 
tered the  business  house  of  William  Bartlett,  Newburyport,  at 
fifteen  years  of  age.  He  remained  several  years  with  Mr.  Bartlett, 
and  came  to  Boston,  where  he  established  himself  in  the  India 
trade,  and  was  successful  in  acquiring  a  large  interest.  He  en- 
gaged with  his  brother-in-law,  Francis  C.  Lowell,  in  the  project 
of  establishing  cotton-mills  and  of  introducing  the  power-loom. 
Lowell  had  been  in  England,  examining  and  investigating  as  much 
as  possible,  but  failed  to  solve  the  secret  process  and  the  technique 
of  the  machine,  which  were  not  divulged  to  him. 

Jackson  and  himself  then  invented  a  model,  from  which  Paul 
Moody  constructed  a  machine;  and  in  181 3  they  built  their  first  mill 
at  Waltham,  near  Boston,  which  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  in  the 
world  that  combined  all  the  operations  of  converting  raw  cotton 
into  finished  cloth.  In  1821  Jackson  organized  the  Merrimac 
Manufacturing  Company,  and  made  large  land  purchases  on  the 
Merrimac  River,  adjoining   the  Pawtucket  Canal,  where  a  number 


196  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

of  mills  were  erected.  This  settlement  generated  the  busy  city  of 
Lowell.  A  few  years  later  he  formed  another  company,  who  built  a 
number  of  mills,  and  in  1830  he  secured  a  charter  for  a  railroad 
between  Lowell  and  Boston.  The  construction  of  the  road,  which 
was  completed  in  1835,  was  under  his  superintendence  and  direc- 
tion, and  it  was  pronounced  to  be  the  most  perfect  of  its  kind 
then  in  this  country.  His  interests  were  extensive  and  of  great 
value,  but  the  financial  crisis  of  1837  swept  away  his  magnificent 
fortune  in  a  few  months.  His  services  were  eagerly  sought,  how- 
ever, and  he  was  the  custodian  of  many  important  trusts  connected 
with  great  and  valuable  manufacturing  interests.  He  was,  mentally, 
a  broad-gauged,  long-ranged  man,  possessing  the  generosity  of  his 
race,  and  bearing  the  love  of  his  employees,  for  whose  moral  and 
intellectual  improvement  he  was  ever  solicitous.  He  died  Aug.  27, 
1867,  amid  great  sorrow. 

JAMES   KAVANAGH. 

James  Kavanagh  was  a  native  of  the  County  of  Wexford, 
Ireland,  and  immigrated  to  Boston  in  1780.  His  stay  in  this  city 
was  of  but  short  duration,  but  sufficiently  long  to  distinguish  him  as 
a  man  of  superior  business  attainments  and  excellent  executive 
ability.  He  settled  in  Damariscotta  Mills,  Me.,  engaged  exten- 
sively in  the  lumber  business  in  that  place,  and  built  several  vessels 
there.  He  was  the  father  of  Edward  Kavanagh,  the  statesman, 
who  was  born  in  New  Castle,  Me.,  April  27,  1795,  and  whose 
death  occurred  Jan.  21,   1844. 

Edward  was  educated  in  Georgetown,  D.C.,  and  graduated  in 
Montreal  Seminary  in  1820.  He  then  studied  law,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar,  and  began  to  practise  in  Damariscotta,  Me.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Maine  Legislature  in  1826—8,  and  again  in  1842-3. 
He  was  secretary  of  the  State  Senate  in  1830,  and  later,  for  a  short 
time,  its  president.  He  was  elected  to  Congress  as  a  Jackson  Demo- 
crat, serving  from  183 1  till  1835,  and  then  became  charge  d'affaires 
in  Portugal,   where  he   remained   till    1842.      He  was  afterwards   a 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  197 

member  of  the  commission  to  settle  the  north-eastern  boundary  of 
Maine.  In  1842—3  served  as  acting  governor  of  Maine  on  the 
election  of  Gov.  John  Fairfield  to  the  United  States  Senate. 

WILLIAM   DOUGLAS   O'CONNOR. 

This  talented  American  writer  was  born  in  Boston,  of  Irish 
parents,  1833.  He  had  artistic  talent,  and  adopted  painting  as  a 
profession,  but  drifted  into  literary  habits,  and  became  assistant 
editor  of  the  Boston  "Commonwealth,"  1853,  and,  later,  of  the 
Philadelphia  "  Evening  Post,"  from  1854  to  '60.  He  was  connected 
with  the  Lighthouse  Department  in  Washington  in  1861,  and  Libra- 
rian of  the  Treasury  Department  in  1871.  He  contributed  largely 
to  the  popular  literature  of  the  day,  in  poems,  tales,  etc.,  for 
magazines :  and  is  the  author  of  "  Harrington,"  a  romance,  the 
"  Ghost,"  and  "  The  Good  Gray  Poet,"  a  vindication  of  Walt 
Whitman. 

JEREMIAH   SMITH   BOIES. 

Jeremiah  was  the  son  of  Capt.  James  Boies.  His  useful  life 
corresponded  with  that  of  his  father's  eminently  well.  Jeremiah 
Smith  Boies  was  honored  and  respected  by  the  citizens  of  Milton  and 
Boston  for  his  many  manly  qualities.  Born  in  Milton  in  1762,  where 
he  married  a  Miss  Clark,  he  was  early  identified  with  the  industrial 
progress  and  development  of  the  town.  In  1783  he  was  graduated 
from  Harvard,  and  then  engaged  in  manufactures  at  Dorchester. 

In  1765  he  built  a  dam  where  the  starch  factory  is  now  located, 
and  constructed  a  chocolate,  corn,  and  paper  mill,  engaging  the 
services  of  Mark  Hollingsworth,  a  young  man  from  New  Jersey, 
as  foreman  of  the  latter.  Mark  Hollingsworth  and  Edmund  Tileston 
had  been  in  the  paper  business  at  Needham,  and  they  received  from 
Mr.  Boies  a  transfer  of  his  business  in  1801.  His  father  had 
bequeathed  to  him  the  paper-mill  in  Milton,  and  he  made  many 
improvements  there.  The  mansion  on  Mattapan  street,  now  owned 
by  the  heirs  of  the  Hon.  Arthur  W.  Austin,  was  erected  by  Mr.  Boies. 


198  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

In  public  life  he  was  not  less  active  than  in  mercantile  and  com- 
mercial. He  was  a  trustee  of  Milton  Academy  in  1798,  the  date  of 
its  establishment,  and  was  treasurer  of  the  board  of  trustees  for 
several  years.  His  active  interest  and  useful  services  in  all  educational 
and  religious  affairs,  during  his  residence  in  Milton,  were  liberally 
devoted  to  the  welfare  of  the  people.  Mr.  Boies  removed  to  Boston, 
and  served  on  the  Board  of  Aldermen  in  1827.  He  died  in  this  city 
in  1 85 1. 

CORNELIUS   CONWAY  FELTON. 

Cornelius  Conway  Felton,  a  distinguished  and  learned  Irish- 
American  scholar  and  writer,  was  born  in  Newbury,  Mass.,  of  Irish 
parents,  Nov.  6,  1807.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  with 
distinction  in  1827.  He  supported  himself  while  there  by  teaching, 
and  was  one  of  the  conductors  of  the  "  Harvard  Register "  in  his 
Senior  year.  After  graduating,  he  taught  for  two  years  in  Geneseo, 
New  York,  and  in  1829  was  appointed  Assistant  Professor  of  Latin  at 
Harvard,  and  in  1832,  Professor  of  Greek.  He  was  honored  by 
elevation  to  the  Eliot  Professorship  of  Greek  Literature,  and  was 
made  one  of  the  regents  of  the  College  in   1834. 

At  that  time  he  published  an  edition  of  Homer,  which  has 
passed  through  several  revised  editions,  and,  in  1840,  a  translation  of 
Menzel'swork  on  German  literature.  In  1841  he  published  "Clouds 
of  Aristophanes."  He  also  assisted  in  preparing  a  work  on  classical 
studies,  and  in  1844  assisted  Longfellow  in  "Poets  and  Poetry  of 
Europe."  He  was  closely  identified  and  intimately  associated  with 
the  men  of  learning  in  Boston  and  vicinity ;  his  writings  were  held  in 
high  esteem  by  the  citizens  of  this  city,  and  they  helped  to  shape 
public  thought  to  a  high  degree. 

ANDREW     DUNLAP. 

Andrew  Dunlap  was  born  in  1794,  and  was  the  only  son  of 
James  Dunlap,  an  Irish  merchant  of  Salem.  From  his  earliest 
childhood  his  ability  was  recognized  and  a  brilliant  future  predicted 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  199 

for  him.  In  1820  he  moved  to  Boston,  where  his  effective  eloquence 
made  him  a  favorite  criminal-pleader.  He  was  warmly  attached  to  the 
Democratic  party,  and  earnestly  advocated  the  election  of  Andrew 
Jackson,  to  whose  policy  he  remained  devoted  to  the  end  of  his  life. 
He  delivered  orations  in  Boston  on  Independence  Day,  in  1822  and 
1832;  served  as  United  States  District  Attorney  from  1829  to  1835, 
when  his  resignation  drew  affectionate  tributes  of  esteem  and  regret 
from  Joseph  Story  and  Judge  Davis.  He  died  a  few  months  afterward. 
His  "  Treatise  on  the  Practice  of  Courts  of  Admiralty  in  Civil  Cases 
of  Maritime  Jurisdiction  "  was  posthumously  published,  under  the 
editorship  of  Charles  Sumner. 

JAMES    BOYD. 

The  sterling  integrity  which  characterized  James  Boyd,  and 
formed  the  basis  of  his  honorable,  useful  public  and  private  life,  pre- 
sents a  lesson  worthy  of  imitation.  Born  at  Newtownards,  Ireland, 
Nov.  11,  1793,  of  Hugh  Boyd  and  Mary,  nee  Patten.  James,  during 
his  infancy,  was  cared  for  by  his  grandparents,  James  and  Sarah 
Patten,  of  Cunningbrom.  He  married  Margaret  Curry,  of  Cainey 
Caw,  Ireland,  July  4,  1815  ;  he  died  at  Boston,  Mass.,  Oct.  10,  1855. 
Margaret  Curry  was  born  in  Ireland,  Feb.  15,  1794;  she  died  in 
Hyde  Park,  Mass.,  July  26,  1874. 

Her  father's  name  was  Francis  Curry,  a  farmer,  of  Cainey  Caw, 
Parish  Rahalp,  County  Down,  Ireland,  whose  wife  was  Margaret 
Cavan ;  his  mother  was  a  Dunbar ;  hers,  a  Litton.  Francis  was 
a  man  of  exemplary  character  and  untiring  industry.  He  died  in 
1852,  in  the  one  hundred  and  second  year  of  his  age.  His  wife 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy.  James'  family  consisted  of  twelve 
children,  all  born  at  Boston  (except  Colonel  Francis,  who  was  born 
at  Newtownards,  Ireland).  James  Boyd,  though  brought  up  in  the 
tenets  of  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  Church  belief,  joined  the  Unitarian 
faith  of  Channing,  in  which  faith  he  died.  In  18 19  he  joined  the 
old  Hollis-street  Church,  of  which  Dr.  John  Pierpont  was  then  the 
pastor.     The  contemporaries  of  Boyd's  manhood  have  cherished  his 


200  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

memory,  and  his  Catholic  countrymen  respected  him  for  his  broad 
and  liberal  mindedness. 

In  the  mid-summer  of  the  year  1817  the  Boyd  family,  consist- 
ing of  James  Boyd,  his  wife,  and  infant  child,  Francis,  came  from 
Ireland,  and  landed  on  Moose  Island,  in  Passamaquoddy  Bay,  where 
they  stayed  for  twenty-two  days.  On  the  fifth  day  of  August,  18 17, 
they  took  passage  for  Boston,  Mass.  They  arrived  here  on  the  twelfth 
day  of  the  same  month,  and  on  the  following  day  James  Boyd  was  at 
work  for  Arthur  Noon,  a  chaise-trimmer  from  London,  England,  whose 
shop  was  located  at  32  Orange  street;  James  received  from  him  six 
dollars  per  week  for  his  services.  In  February,  18 19,  he  was  em- 
ployed by  William  Reed,  a  chaise-trimmer  on  Marlborough  street 
(now  Washington  street),  near  the  Old  South  Church. 

On  May  6,  18 19,  James  commenced  business,  with  a  capital  of 
fifty  dollars,  at  32  Orange  street,  the  name  then  applied  to  that  part 
of  Washington  street  between  Boylston  and  Dover  streets.  There  he 
manufactured  harnesses  and  trunks ;  later  he  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  leather  hose  for  fire-engines,  which  was  made  of  a  single 
thickness  of  leather  and  waxed  thread,  and  hand-sewed  together. 

About  1820  he  made  an  important  improvement  on  the  old 
process,  a  patent  for  which  he  applied,  and  it  was  granted  to  him 
on  May  30,  1821.  This  was  the  first  patent  issued  from  the  United 
States  for  fire-hose.  It  was  quickly  followed  by  another  improve- 
ment, which  substituted  copper  rivets  for  waxed  thread.  Mr.  Boyd 
was  the  first  manufacturer  in  New  England  to  adopt  this  method  of 
making  fire-hose.  It  acquired  a  high  reputation,  and  was  known 
as  Boyd's  double-riveted  fire-engine  hose,  and  superseded  the  other. 
He  manufactured  fire-buckets,  firemen's  caps,  and  general  leather 
supplies  for  the  fire  department. 

Public  attention  was  soon  attracted  to  the  excellence  of  his  mate- 
rials and  workmanship,  and  he  became  the  leading  manufacturer  of 
these  goods. 

Larger  accommodations,  with  increased  facilities  for  his  ex- 
tensively developed  business,  were  necessary;  he  removed  to  the 
west  corner  of  Merchants'    row    and  Faneuil  Hall  square ;   thence, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES.  201 

in  1826,  to  a  newly  erected  building  on  the  opposite  corner  of 
Merchants'  row.  This  was  occupied  on  lease  by  himself  and  by 
the  firm  of  James  Boyd  &  Sons.  It  was  afterwards  purchased  by 
Mr.  James  Boyd,  subsequently  sold  to  the  Faneuil  Hall  Bank.  The 
location  of  the  business  was  changed  in  1874  to  No.  9  Federal  street. 
For  many  years  they  were  engaged  in  making  military  equipments, 
under  contract  with  the  United  States  Ordnance  Department.  For 
this  branch  he  obtained  a  patent,  Nov.  19,  1833,  for  a  folio-extension 
knapsack.  He  became  a  member  of  the  volunteer  fire  department  of 
Boston,  which  was  largely  composed  of  young  men  engaged  in  pro- 
fessional, mechanical,  and  mercantile  pursuits,  and  he  soon  rose  to  a 
commanding  position. 

At  the  Beacon-street  fire  —  one  of  the  memorable  conflagrations 
of  Boston — he  was  the  second  foreman  of  Hero  No.  6,  and  later 
the  foreman  of  Brooks  No.  11,  a  company  noted  for  its  efficiency, 
located  on  Franklin  street,  near  the  centre  of  the  mercantile  section 
of  the  city.  He  first  suggested  the  organization  of  the  Charitable  As- 
sociation of  the  Boston  Fire  Department,  drew  up  its  constitution  and 
by-laws,  which  were  adopted,  with  slight  modifications  of  two  articles. 

He  was  the  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  asso- 
ciation, and  on  his  retirement  from  office,  in  1829,  resolutions  were 
passed  by  the  members  of  the  association  expressing  their  high 
appreciation  of  his  services.  This  was  the  first  association  ever 
organized  in  this  country  for  the  relief  of  firemen  suffering  injury 
received  while  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties ;  it  was  the  model  for 
its  successors  in  New  York  and  elsewhere. 

In  1835  Mr.  Boyd  was  elected  to  the  Massachusetts  Legisla- 
ture. One  of  the  most  important  bills  considered  at  the  session 
was  the  one  for  the  suppression  of  riots,  suggested  by  the  burning 
and  destruction  of  the  Ursuline  Convent,  at  Charlestown,  Mass.,  by 
a  mob,  in  1834.  Mr.  Boyd  proposed  an  amendment  to  this  bill,  the 
adoption  of  which  he  urged  by  a  stirring  speech.  It  attracted  much 
attention,  and  was  published  verbatim  et  literatim  in  the  "  Columbian 
Sentinel,"  then  a  leading  political  journal.  Subsequently  the  princi- 
ples enunciated  therein  were  accepted  as  equitable. 


202  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

On  the  17th  of  March,  1837,  he  delivered  an  oration  at  the 
Masonic  Temple  before  the  Charitable  Irish  Society.  It  was  a 
product  of  love  for  his  native  land,  a  loyal  utterance  of  gratitude, 
no  less  patriotic,  true,  and  hearty,  for  his  adopted  country.  He 
denounced  strongly  the  principles  of  that  snake-like  political  move- 
ment of  the  Native-American  party,  so  sudden  in  its  inception,  and 
more  rapid  and  complete  in  failure.  His  able  article  —  which  ap- 
pealed to  the  "sober  second  thought"  of  the  people  —  in  the  Boston 
"  Atlas,"  the  organ  of  the  local  Whig  party,  reviewed  the  message 
of  Governor  Gardner,  and  was  editorially  quoted  as  "  able,  well  put, 
intelligent,  and  suggestive."  Its  sentiments  were  such  as  are  now 
accepted  by  fair-minded  men  as  to  the  rights  and  relations  of  our 
adopted  fellow-citizens. 

In  1838  Mr.  Boyd  established  a  branch  house  in  New  Orleans. 
His  second  son,  James  Patten,  who  had  served  him  for  five  years  as 
clerk,  entered  into  partnership  with  him,  and  managed  the  New 
Orleans  house  until,  at  his  death,  May  30,  1843,  the  branch  was 
discontinued. 

In  April,  1843,  Mr.  Boyd  visited  Indiana,  to  inspect  the  cannel- 
coal  mines,  of  Cannelton.  He  bought  an  interest  in  the  American 
Cannel  Company. 

His  son  Frederick  went  out  first  as  clerk,  afterwards  as  partner 
with  his  father,  and  became  manager,  a  position  which  he  occupied 
until  about  i860.  Mr.  Boyd  continued  to  cooperate  with  the  company 
in  mining  and  cotton  manufacturing  at  Cannelton  until  1852.  He 
visited  the  town  frequently,  encouraged  the  enterprises  of  the  popu- 
lation, and  raised  funds  for  the  erection  of  its  churches  and  schools. 

He  retired  from  active  business  about  1852;  his  wife  survived 
him  nearly  nineteen  years.  Both  are  buried  in  Mt.  Auburn  Ceme- 
tery, of  which  Mr.  Boyd  was  one  of  the  original  incorporators. 
According  to  the  Mt.  Auburn  register  of  interments,  on  the  6th  of 
July,  1832,  an  infant  child  of  James  Boyd  was  buried  in  Lot  182, 
Mountain  avenue.  It  was  the  first  burial  made  in  the  cemetery.  Of 
their  family  of  eleven  children  but  three  are  living. 

Francis,  born  May  2,  18 16,  was  educated  in  the  Boston  Grammar- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  203 

schools  and  at  the  English  High  School,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1 831;  he  received  his  mercantile  training  in  the  office  of  Josiah 
Bradlee  &  Co.,  one  of  the  old  merchant  firms  of  Boston.  In  1840 
Francis  established  the  commission  and  shipping  house  of  Boyd  & 
Frothingham.  Frederick,  born  April  29,  1824,  has  been  referred  to. 
John  Curry,  born  April  25,  1820,  succeeded  his  father  as  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm.  He,  with  Alexander,  born  Feb.  13,  1830,  composed 
the  firm  known  as  James  Boyd  &  Sons.  John  Curry  died  May  12, 
1862.  Alexander  succeeded  him,  and  he  formed  a  co-partnership 
with  Michael  J.  Ward,  who  had  been  employed  in  the  store  as  clerk 
from  boyhood. 

On  Aug.  30,  1859,  John  Curry  obtained  a  patent  for  his  inven- 
tion of  copper-riveted  fire-engine  hose,  made  of  a  heavy  woven 
fabric  of  cotton  with  India-rubber  or  other  water-proof  material. 

Not  a  note  or  claim  against  the  house  of  James  Boyd  or  James 
Boyd  &  Sons  was  ever  dishonored  during  its  existence  of  nearly  sixty 
years. 

Three  other  of  the  children  died  when  quite  young.  Those 
who  reached  maturity  are  James  Patten,  born  May  16,  1818. 
William,  born  Dec.  3,  1822,  learned  the  saddlery  and  harness  trade, 
became  a  partner  with  his  father;  died  Sept.  19,  1847.  Margaret 
Curry,  born  Sept.  8,  1826,  married  Edward  Wyman,  of  Boston;  she 
died  on  March  22,  1854.  Jane  Louisa,  born  Sept.  1,  1833,  died  on 
Oct.  14,  1857. 

James  Boyd  wrote  much  and  delivered  many  public  speeches. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES 


OF 


REPRESENTATIVE    MEN    OF    OUR    OWN 

TIMES. 


SKETCHES    OF    REPRESENTATIVE    MEN    OF    OUR 

OWN    TIMES. 


JOHN  BOYLE    O'REILLY. 

"  I  hate  his  Irish  Nationalism,  but  I  love  his  character  and  his 
poetry.  He  is  your  foremost  man  in  America."  This  is  a  scholarly 
Anglo-American's  estimate  of  John  Boyle  O'Reilly,  the  brilliant  Irish 
patriot,  poet,  journalist,  and  orator.  Thus  regarded  by  a  repre- 
sentative political  opponent,  who  shall  estimate  his  place  in  the  hearts 
of  that  great  constituency,  coextensive  not  alone  with  America,  but 
with  the  English  speech,  who  love  as  life  itself  the  cause  he  so 
worthily  stands  for? 

John  Boyle  O'Reilly  was  born  at  Dowth  Castle,  County  Meath, 
Ireland,  on  June  28,  1844.  His  father,  William  David  O'Reilly,  was 
master  of  the  Netterville  Institution,  and  was  a  fine  scholar  with  a 
strong  mathematical  bent.  His  mother,  Eliza  Boyle,  was  nearly 
related  to  Col.  John  Allen,  a  famous  name  among  the  Irish  rebels  of 
'98.  He  commanded  a  company  in  the  French  legion  in  the  siege  of 
Astorga,  and  risked  his  life  to  plant  the  French  flag  on  the  ramparts. 
The  fine  literary  taste  of  this  gifted  mother  became  talent,  nay, 
genius,  in  the  son.  Her  passionate  patriotism  was  reproduced  in  him 
intensified.  Some  of  John  Boyle  O'Reilly's  sweetest  poems  are  of 
his  much-loved  and  unforgotten  mother,  who  suffered  with  his 
dangers  and  sorrows,  but  was  not  spared  to  enjoy  his  triumphs.  She 
died  while  he  was  in  prison ;  and  shall  we  err  in  believing  that 
anxiety  for  her  favorite  son,  the  successive  shocks  of  his  arrest,  trial, 
and  death-sentence,  had  a  share  in  bringing  her  to  a  premature  grave? 

But  we  anticipate.  Young  O'Reilly  had  from  his  father  that 
thorough  training  in  the  foundation  studies  by  which  Old-World  lads 

(207) 


208  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

of  fourteen  are  in  point  of  real  education  ahead  of  American  boys 
of  eighteen.  At  an  early  age  the  future  journalist  learned  type- 
setting in  the  office  of  the  Drogheda  "  Argus."  Afterwards  we  find 
him  earning  his  living  as  a  short-hand  reporter  on  newspapers  in 
various  English  cities. 

He  joined  the  Fenian  movement  at  its  inception.  "  A  desperate 
game,  that  Fenianism  !  "  one  said  to  him  a  few  years  ago.  "  Yes," 
he  answered,  with  thoughtful  face  and  glowing  eyes ;  "  they  could 
only  say  to  us,  '  Come,  boys,  it  is  prison  or  death ;  but  it  is  for 
Ireland,'  and  we  came."  And  he  looked  as  if  he  would  gladly  go 
the  same  perilous  road  again  at  the  same  appeal. 

In  1863  O'Reilly  returned  to  Ireland  and  enlisted  in  the  Tenth 
Hussars,  in  which  he  spent  three  years,  furthering  the  revolutionary 
cause  and  mastering  the  art  of  war  for  future  use.  In  1866,  on  the 
secret  evidence  of  the  informer,  he  was  arrested  in  Dublin,  tried  by 
special  military  commission  for  treason,  in  company  with  Sergeant- 
Major  McCarthy  and  Corporal  Thomas  Chambers,  and  sentenced  to 
twenty  years'  penal  servitude.  For  the  next  two  years  he,  with  the 
two  others  named,  was  an  inmate  of  the  imperial  prisons  of  England 
at  Pentonville,  Millbank,  Chatham,  Portsmouth,  Dartmoor,  and  Port- 
land. In  October,  1867,  he  was  transported  to  the  penal  colony  of 
Western  Australia,  with  sixty  other  political  prisoners.  In  February, 
1869,  he  escaped  from  the  penal  colony  in  a  boat,  assisted  by  the 
Rev.  Patrick  McCabe,  a  Catholic  priest  stationed  in  his  district,  and 
some  other  devoted  Irish-Australians.  He  was  picked  up  at  sea, 
after  many  hardships  ashore  and  afloat,  by  the  American  whaling 
bark  "  Gazelle,"  commanded  by  Captain  David  R.  Gifford,  of  New 
Bedford,  who  treated  him  with  the  greatest  kindness  for  the  six 
months  he  remained  on  board,  and  who  lent  him  twenty  guineas  (all 
the  money  he  had  with  him)  when  they  separated  off  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope. 

Captain  Gifford  put  O'Reilly  on  board  another  American  ship 
(the  "  Sapphire,"  of  Boston,  bound  to  Liverpool),  off  the  Cape. 
This  vessel  carried  hirn  safely  to  England,  where,  by  the  aid  of  her 
Yankee  officers,  he  was  shipped  as  an  American  sailor  on  board  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  209 

"Bombay,"  of  Bath,  Me.  (Capt.  Frank  Jordan),  which  landed  him 
in  Philadelphia  in  November,  1869.  He  was  twenty-five  years  of  age, 
strong  and  hopeful ;  but  he  did  not  know  a  single  soul  on  the 
American  continent. 

Need  we  say  how  O'Reilly  gratefully  kept  the  thought  of  Captain 
Gifford  in  his  heart.  His  first  book,  "  Songs  from  the  Southern 
Seas,"  published  in  Boston  in  1873,  bears  a  touching  dedication  to 
Capt.  David  R.  Gifford.  The  saddest  part  of  it  was,  however,  that 
the  book  reached  his  dwelling  just  two  hours  after  his  death.  "  A 
Tribute  Too  Late,"  wrote  O'Reilly,  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  most 
touching  memorials  that  was  ever  penned. 

O'Reilly  landed  in  Philadelphia  on  Nov.  23,  1869,  and  made 
application  for  American  citizenship  the  same  day,  at  the  United 
States  Court  in  that  city.  He  made  but  a  brief  stay  here ;  then  went 
on  to  New  York,  where  he  gave  a  lecture  and  wrote  some  articles 
for  the  press.  Thence  he  came  to  Boston  on  the  2d  of  January, 
1870.  He  accompanied  the  Fenian  raid  into  Canada  in  the  same 
year,  and  sent  descriptive  letters  thereof  to  the  Boston  papers.  In 
the  summer  of  1870  he  secured  editorial  employment  on  the  "Pilot;  " 
and,  in  his  intervals  of  leisure,  began  to  give  to  the  world,  in  poems 
of  singular  strength,  depth,  and  beauty,  the  results  of  the  action, 
observation,  and  endurance  of  the  crowded  years  of  his  short  ex- 
istence. His  Australian  poems  glowed  with  color  and  throbbed  with 
life.  He  was  recognized  at  once  as  a  new  and  original  presence  in 
the  literary  world.  Horace  Greeley  was  much  taken  with  O'Reilly's 
personality  and  work,  and  some  of  the  latter's  best  narrative  poems 
appeared  in  the  New  York  "  Tribune."  The  "  Dark  Blue,"  the  mag- 
azine of  the  University  of  Oxford,  England,  gladly  welcomed  him  to 
its  exclusive  pages,  till  it  found  out  that  he  was  a  Fenian  and  an  ex- 
political  convict.  He  became  a  contributor  to  the  "  Galaxy," 
"  Scribner's,"  the  "  Atlantic  Monthly,"  "  Harper's,"  and  others  of  the 
best  American  literary  publications. 

Emphatically  a  man's  man,  his  frank,  earnest,  and  attractive 
personality,  his  broad  humanity,  added  to  his  eminent  literary  gifts, 
drew  to  him  the  admiration  and  friendship  of  Wendell  Phillips,  John 


210  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

Greenleaf  Whittier,  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  and  others  of  God's 
noblemen  in  New  England.  It  is  pleasant  to  add  here  that  this 
Irishman,  who  himself  was  the  victim  of  tyranny,  has  a  heart  for 
oppressed  people  everywhere,  and  has  won  in  the  affections  of  the 
colored  people  of  America,  by  his  outspoken  and  sympathetic  advo- 
cacy of  their  interests,  a  place  very  near  the  three  great  names  above 
mentioned. 

John  Boyle  O'Reilly  has  done  much  in  his  own  single  person 
to  destroy  the  anti-Irish  prejudices  that  lingered  in  New  England 
long  after  they  had  practically  disappeared  from  the  rest  of  the 
country,  as  the  snow-drifts  linger  in  the  clefts  of  her  stony-hearted 
old  hills.  He  has  made  plain  to  the  nation,  as  well  as  to  the 
rather  timid  and  self-distrustful  New  England  Irish  themselves,  that 
the  least  part  of  the  Irish  strength  in  that  section  is  in  mere  force 
of  numbers. 

In  1876  Mr.  O'Reilly,  already  for  some  years  editor  of  the 
"  Pilot,"  became  its  proprietor,  with  Archbishop  Williams.  His 
paper  is  universally  regarded  as  a  foremost  exponent  of  Irish- 
American  thought,  and  as  one  of  the  stanchest  and  most  capable 
defenders  of  Catholic  interests.  A  live  newspaper,  it  has  unique 
features  of  literary  and  domestic  interest;  and  such  competent  judges 
as  the  New  York  "  Independent "  and  the  Springfield  "  Republican  " 
declare  that  some  of  the  best  poetry  of  the  day  appears  in  the 
"  Pilot."  In  journalism,  as  out  of  it,  Mr.  O'Reilly  is  a  faithful  friend 
and  a  courteous  and  magnanimous  opponent. 

In  the  midst  of  his  journalistic  work  —  and  every  detail  of  his 
paper  has  the  benefit  of  his  personal  supervision  —  Mr.  O'Reilly  has 
brought  out  four  volumes  of  poems,  as  follows :  "  Songs  of  the 
Southern  Seas,"  1873;  "Songs,  Legends,  and  Ballads,"  1878; 
"  Statues  in  the  Block,"  1881  ;  and  "  In  Bohemia,"  1886.  All  these 
books  have  gone  through  many  editions. 

This  is  not  the  place  for  a  critical  estimate  of  Mr.  O'Reilly's 
rank  as  a  poet.  The  critical  mind  is  debauched  in  this  day  of  literary 
small  things  by  the  habit  of  solemn  contemplation  and  silly  over- 
praise of  trifles.     We  turn  our  backs  on  the  great  literary  standards, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES.  211 

put  on  our  keenest  magnifying-glasses,  and  spend  precious  hours  in 
ascertaining  the  relative  size  of  a  crowd  of  pigmies.  The  great 
words  "  poet,"  "  genius,"  "  literary  immortality,"  and  the  like,  are 
flying  about  with  such  childish  recklessness  and  lack  of  sense  of  pro- 
portion, that  when  a  true  poet,  a  real  genius,  appears,  we  are  all  out 
of  language.  Let  us  be  honest.  We  have  as  yet  no  great  poets  in 
America.  But  of  the  small  number  of  our  true  poets,  John  Boyle 
O'Reilly  is  one  of  the  two  or  three  who  have  the  divine  fire,  whose 
words  are  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  who  give  promise  of 
becoming   great. 

He  has  written  a  novel,  "Moondyne,"  based  on  his  Australian 
experience,  which  is  dramatic,  forceful,  as  all  his  work  is.  It  has 
had  seven  large  editions.  He  has  also  edited  a  number  of  works, 
and  prefaced  not  a  few,  among  the  latter  George  Makepeace  Towle's 
"Young  People's  History  of  Ireland"  (Lee  &  Shepard,  Boston),  and 
Justin  McCarthy's  "  Ireland's  Cause  and  England's  Parliament,"  just 
published  by  the  Ticknors,  Boston.  He  has  several  works  in 
preparation,  among  them  "  The  Country  with  a  Roof,"  an  alle- 
gory, illustrating  the  defects  in  the  American  social  system ;  "  The 
Evolution  of  Straight  Weapons,"  which  covers  the  whole  ground  of 
athletics ;  and  a  work  on  the  material  resources  of  Ireland. 

For  the  past  decade  Mr.  O'Reilly  has  been  in  great  demand  as  a 
lecturer,  and  has  been  the  chosen  spokesman  of  the  city  of  his  home 
on  some  notable  occasions.  The  best,  perhaps,  of  his  orations  is 
"The  Common  Citizen  Soldier,"  delivered  in  Boston  on  Memorial 
day,  1886. 

He  is  a  famous  athlete,  and  the  serious,  humane,  and  patriotic 
purpose  which  underlies  all  the  doings  of  this  man,  who  is  making  the 
most  of  his  life,  can  be  found  even  in  his  pastimes. 

Mr.  O'Reilly  is  one  of  the  founders,  and  was  the  president,  of 
the  Papyrus  Club,  which  brings  together  a  rather  striking  group  of 
authors,  artists,  musicians,  and  actors ;  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  St. 
Botolph,  the  Round  Table,  and  other  literary  clubs  of  the  modern 
Athens.  He  is  blessed  with  a  charming  wife  and  children.  "  Her 
rare  and  loving  judgment  has  been  a  standard  I  have  tried  to  reach," 


212  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

writes  the  poet,  inscribing  to  this  gifted  wife  his  "  Songs,  Legends, 
and  Ballads." 

What  is  the  secret  of  the  marvellous  success  of  this  man,  not  yet 
at  his  prime,  who,  little  more  than  a  decade  and  a  half  ago,  was  a 
friendless,  penniless,  political  refugee?  It  is  not  native  genius  alone, 
nor  patience  and  method,  those  best  allies  of  genius,  nor  vigorous 
health,  nor  an  impressive  and  pleasing  personality.  It  is  sterling 
character,  which,  when  all  is  said  and  done,  must  ever  outshine  the 
dazzle  of  natural  gifts  or  shrewd  achievements. 

"  It  is  sad  to  see  the  man  overshadowed  by  the  artisan."  "  I 
have  never  seen,"  said  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  "  a  human  being  in 
whose  individuality  I  did  not  find  something  to  respect."  That 
earnest  and  reverent  sympathy  with  all  humanity  is  the  key-note  of 
his  character  and  the  secret  of  his  wide-reaching  influence,  and  the 
popular  affection  which  he  won  in  overflowing  measure.  He  is 
generous ;  he  has  a  long  memory  for  kindnesses  and  a  short  one  for 
injuries ;  he  delights  in  others'  gifts  and  successes.  The  literary  men 
and  women,  the  journalists,  artists,  musicians,  and  business  men  who 
owe  their  first  fortunate  impulse  to  his  direction,  or  who  have  had 
his  substantial  aid  over  rough  places,  would  make,  if  gathered 
together,  a  large  and  respectable  assemblage.  It  is  much  to  say  of 
any  man  what  is  true  of  him,  that  he  is  most  loved  and  honored  by 
those  who  have  known  him  longest  and  nearest. 

And  now,  our  last  word  of  him  must  be  as  our  first  has  been  — 
of  his  work  for  Ireland.  Through  voice,  through  pen,  through 
worldly  substance,  through  the  flame  enkindled  from  his  own  heart 
in  the  hearts  of  others,  he  has  labored  unweariedly  all  these  years  for 
the  cause  of  Irish  freedom  —  that  holy  cause,  for  which  he  offered 
life  itself  when  life  was  new  and  sweet.  "  For  Ireland,"  that  is  the 
thread  of  gold  which  runs  through  all  he  writes  and  does. 


For  thee  the  past  and  future  days ;  for  thee 
The  will  to  trample  wrong  and  strike  for  slaves; 
For  thee  the  hope  that  ere  mine  arm  be  weak 
And  ere  my  heart  be  dry  may  close  the  strife 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  212a 

In  which  thy  colors  shall  be  borne  through  fire, 
And  all  thy  griefs  washed  out  in  manly  blood, 
And  I  shall  see  thee  crowned  and  bound  with  love, 
Thy  strong  sons  round  thee  guarding  thee." 

May  the  patriot-poet's  hope  soon  be  realized,  and  may  God 
spare  him  many  years  thereafter  to  the  causes  that  need  him  and  the 
hearts  that  love  him  ! 


When  the  sketch  above  was  written,  in  January,  1888,  no  man 
of  all  the  men  who  were  spending  themselves  in  the  struggle  for 
Ireland's  freedom  seemed  likelier  to  live  till  the  radiance  was  full 
upon  her 

"  Of  that  white  noon,  when  men  shall  call  her  queen." 

"  I  am  as  strong  as  a  tree,"  he  was  wont  to  say.  And  he  fell 
like  a  tree,  lightning-smitten. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  Sunday,  August  10,  people  were 
massed  in  front  of  the  bulletin  boards  on  Newspaper  Row, 
Boston,  gazing  with  horror  and  incredulity  at  this  terse  an- 
nouncement: "John  Boyle  O'Reilly  died  this  Morning  at 
Hull." 

"  Impossible !  "  cried  those  who  had  seen  him  in  the 
full  strength  and  splendor  of  his  noble  manhood  twelve  hours 
before. 

"How  did  it  come  to  pass?"  men  asked  each  other  with 
broken  voices,  a  few  hours  later,  as  the  dreadful  tidings  passed 
from  lip  to  lip,  and  thousands  of  homes  were  mourning  as  if 
bereaved  of  a  beloved  son,  through  the  blow  that  had  desolated 
his. 

His  nearest  and  dearest  had  no  premonition  of  the  coming 
anguish.  The  last  week  of  his  life  was  the  most  crowded.  He  was 
on  the  reception  committee  for  the  Grand  Army  encampment  in 
Boston. 


212b  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

The  Wednesday  before  he  died  he  umpired  under  a  blazing 
sun  the  annual  Irish  Athletic  Games  at  Highland  Grove,  Boston. 
He  had  been  somewhat  overcome  by  the  heat,  but  rallied,  and  was 
early  at  "  The  Pilot "  office  next  morning  and  but  little  absent 
from  his  desk  the  two  days  following. 

He  was  bringing  out  a  Grand  Army  number  of  "  The  Pilot." 
He  held  his  pen  for  the  last  time  in  the  service  of  the  country  of 
his  adoption,  the  country  which  he  loved  and  served  with  a  whole- 
hearted affection,  and  which  held  him  in  her  heart  among  her 
noblest  and  best  defenders. 

On  Saturday,  August  9,  he  spent  the  morning  in  "  The  Pilot " 
office  as  usual,  taking  thought,  in  the  midst  of  his  work  and  care, 
for  arrangements  that  all  his  employes  might  have  good  places  for 
a  view  of  the  GA.R.  procession  on  Tuesday.  He  was  apparently 
well,  but  evidently  tired.  He  took  an  early  boat  to  his  summer 
residence  in  Hull.  His  little  daughters  met  him  at  the  landing,  and 
many  passengers  on  the  same  boat  recall  his  affectionate  merriment 
with  the  little  ones  as  they  went  on  together  to  his  lovely  summer 
home.  Towards  evening  a  friend  went  by  and  saw  him  trimming 
the  flowers  and  shrubs  in  the  garden  that  he  had  planted  and  tended 
with  so  much  pleasure. 

The  next  morning  the  streets  of  Boston  were  ringing  with  the 
news  of  his  death ;  and  the  people  weeping  in  the  churches,  as  the 
priests  asked  from  the  altars  prayers  for  his  soul. 

This  is  how  the  end  came :  He  had  been  suffering  for  several 
nights  from  insomnia,  and  on  Saturday  night  walked  a  long  way 
with  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  John  R.  Murphy,  who  had  been  spend- 
ing the  evening  with  him,  in  the  hope  that  physical  fatigue  would 
induce  the  needed  sleep.  In  his  absence  Mrs.  O'Reilly,  who 
is  an  invalid,  went  to  bed.  Waking  between  two  and  three  A.M.  she 
saw  that  her  husband  had  not  retired,  and  looking  into  the  apartment 
adjoining  found  him  apparently  asleep.  She  spoke,  but  he  did 
not  answer.  She  touched  him,  but  he  did  not  move.  Thoroughly 
frightened,  she  sent  a  servant  for  the  family  physician,  Dr.  Litchfield, 
who  came  in  all  haste,  and  did  everything  possible.     It  was  too  late 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  212c 

to  save  the  precious  life.  He  revived  a  little,  showed  consciousness, 
recognized  by  pressure  of  his  hand  his  little  daughters  at  his  bed- 
side, murmured  a  few  half-articulate  words,  and  gave  up  his  brave 
Christian  soul  to  God.  The  immediate  cause  of  his  death  was  heart- 
failure. 

The  sketch  which  it  is  our  sad  duty  to  supplement  was  written 
early  in  January,  1888. 

He  published  one  book  more,  —  his  last,  — "  Athletics  and 
Manly  Sports,"  in  the  spring  of  1888,  with  the  firm  of  Ticknor  & 
Co.  In  May  of  that  year  he  made  a  trip  to  the  Lake  of  the  Dismal 
Swamp,  Virginia,  with  his  friend  the  Hon.  Edward  A.  Moseley,  of 
Washington,  D.C.,  and  embodied  his  experiences  in  a  magnificent 
illustrated  sketch  in  the  "  Boston  Sunday  Herald."  This,  with  others  ■ 
of'  his  out-door  sketches,  was  embodied  in  the  second  edition  of 
his  "  Athletics  and  Manly  Sports." 

He  wrote,  by  request  of  the  colored  citizens  of  Boston,  the  poem 
for  the  unveiling  of  the  Crispus  Attucks  Monument  on  Boston  Com- 
mon, November,  1888.  The  memory  of  the  negro  proto-martyr  of 
American  independence  stirred  his  heart  to  its  very  depths,  and 
evoked  a  poem  which  ranks  among  his  greatest,  and  indeed  among 
the  greatest  of  the  past  decade.  We  would  rank  it  with  his  "  Wen- 
dell Phillips,"  his  "Exile  of  the  Gael"  (written  for  St.  Patrick's 
day,  1887,  the  150th  anniversary  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society  of 
Boston),  and  "The  Pilgrim  Fathers,"  written  for  the  unveiling 
of  the  Pilgrim's  Monument,  at  Plymouth,  Aug.  1,  1889;  — though 
perhaps  to  a  multitude  of  his  readers  in  America  this  last-named 
poem  will  be  accounted  the  high-water  mark  of  his  poetic 
achievements. 

That  he,  an  Irishman  and  a  Catholic,  should  have  been  chosen 
to  commemorate  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims,  shows  not  only  the 
popular  esteem  of  his  poetic  gift,  not  only  his  place  in  the  Ameri- 
can people's  affection,  but  their  trust  in  his  rectitude,  his  sense  of 
justice,  and  breadth  of  vision.  He  spoke  where  Longfellow,  had  he  A 
been  spared,  or  Whittier  or  Holmes,  had  not  the  infirmities  of  age 
made  them  shrink  from  the  task  involved,  might  have  been  chosen; 


y< 


212c?  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

for  he  came  next  to  these  great  names  in  the  love  of  New  England 
and  America;    and  firm  Catholic  and  fervent  Irishman  as  he  was, 
no  man  ever  more  justly  estimated  nor  eloquently  extolled  the  Pil- 
grim Fathers'  share  in  the  building  of  the  nation. 
We  append  the  poem. 

THE    PILGRIM    FATHERS. 

"  Let  it  not  be  grievous  unto  you  that  you  have  been  instruments  to  break  the  ice  for  others  who 
come  after  with  less  difficulty;  the  honor  shall  be  yours  to  the  world's  end." — Letter  from  Loyidon 
to  the  Pilgrims,  jb22.     (Bradford's  Hist.) 

"  1  charge  you  before  God  that  you  follow  me  no  farther  than  you  have  seen  me  follow  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  If  God  reveal  anything  to  you  by  any  other  instrument  of  his,  be  as  ready  to  receive  it 
as  ever  you  were  to  receive  any  truth  by  my  ministry;  for  I  am  verily  persuaded,  I  am  very  confident, 
the  Lord  has  more  truths  yet  to  break  forth  out  of  his  Holy  Word."  —  Rev.  John  Robinson's  Farewell 
to  the  Pilgrims  of  Leyden  in  Holland,  ib2q. 

"The  hospitals  [of  England]  are  full  of  the  ancient,  .  .  .  the  almshouses  are  filled  with  old 
laborers.  Many  there  are  who  get  their  living  with  bearing  burdens;  but  more  are  fain  to  burden  the 
land  with  their  whole  bodies.  Neither  come  these  straits  upon  men  always  through  intemperance,  ill 
husbandry,  indiscretion,  etc.;  but  even  the  most  wise,  sober,  and  discreet  men  go  often  to  the  wall  when 
they  have  done  their  best.  .  .  .  The  rent  taker  lives  on  sweet  morsels,  but  the  rent-payer  eats  a  dry 
crust  often  with  watery  eyes." —  Robert  Cuskman,  Plymouth,  ibsi.     ( Chronicles  of  the  Pilgrims.) 

"  We  are  all  freeholders;  the  rent  day  doth  not  trouble  us."  —  Letter  of  William  Hilton  from 
Plymouth,  1621.     (  Young's  Chronicles.) 

One  righteous  word  for  Law  —  the  common  will; 
One  living  truth  of  faith — God  regnant  still; 
One  primal  test  of  Freedom  —  all  combined; 
One  sacred  Revolution  —  change  of  mind; 
One  trust  unfailing  for  the  night  and  need  — 
The  tyrant-flower  shall  cast  the  freedom-seed. 

So  held  they  firm,  the  Fathers  aye  to  be, 
From  home  to  Holland,  Holland  to  the  sea  — 
Pilgrims  for  manhood,  in  their  little  ship, 
Hope  in  each  heart  and  prayer  on  every  lip. 
They  could  not  live  by  king-made  codes  and  creeds ; 
They  chose  the  path  where  every  footstep  bleeds. 
Protesting,  not  rebelling;  scorned  and  banned; 
Through  pains  and  prisons  harried  from  the  land ; 
Through  double  exile,  —  till  at  last  they  stand 
Apart  from  all,  —  unique,  unworldly,  true, 
Selected  grain  to  sow  the  earth  anew; 
A  winnowed  part  —  a  saving  remnant  they; 
Dreamers  who  work  —  adventurers  who  pray! 

What  vision  led  them?     Can  we  test  their  prayers? 
Who  knows  they  saw  no  empire  in  the  West? 
The  later  Puritans  sought  land  and  gold, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  212e 

And  all  the  treasures  that  the  Spaniard  told. 
What  line  divides  the  Pilgrim  from  the  rest? 

We  know  them  by  the  exile  that  was  theirs ; 

Their  justice,  faith,  and  fortitude  attest; 

And  those  long  years  in  Holland,  when  their  band 

Sought  humble  living  in  a  stranger's  land. 

They  saw  their  England  covered  with  a  weed 

Of  flaunting  lordship  both  in  court  and  creed. 

With  helpless  hands  they  watched  the  error  grow, 

Pride  on  the  top  and  impotence  below; 

Indulgent  nobles,  privileged  and  strong, 

A  haughty  crew  to  whom  all  rights  belong; 

The  bishops  arrogant,  the  courts  impure, 

The  rich  conspirators  against  the  poor; 

The  peasant  scorned,  the  artisan  despised; 

The  all-supporting  workers  lowest  prized. 

They  marked  those  evils  deepen  year  by  year: 

The  pensions  grow,  the  freeholds  disappear, 

Till  England  meant  but  monarch,  prelate,  peer. 

At  last,  the  Conquest !     Now  they  know  the  word ; 

The  Saxon  tenant  and  the  Norman  Lord ! 

No  longer  Merrie  England  :  now  it  meant 

The  payers  and  the  takers  of  the  rent ; 

And  rent  exacted  not  from  lands  alone  — 

All  rights  and  hopes  must  centre  in  the  throne; 

Law-tithes  for  prayer  —  their  souls  were  not  their  own ! 

Then  o'er  the  brim  the  bitter  waters  welled; 

The  mind  protested  and  the  soul  rebelled. 

And  yet,  how  deep  the  bowl,  how  slight  the  flow! 

A  few  brave  exiles  from  their  country  go; 

A  few  strong  souls  whose  rich  affections  cling, 

Though  cursed  by  clerics,  hunted  by  the  king. 

Their  last  sad  vision  on  the  Grimsby  strand, 

Their  wives  and  children  kneeling  on  the  sand. 

Then  twelve  slow  years  in  Holland  — changing  years  — 

Strange  ways  of  life  —  strange  voices  in  their  ears ; 

The  growing  children  learning  foreign  speech; 

And  growing,  too,  within  the  heart  of  each 

A  thought  of  further  exile  —  of  a  home 

In  some  far  land  —  a  home  for  life  and  death 

By  their  hands  built,  in  equity  and  faith. 

And  then  the  preparation  —  the  heart-beat 

Of  wayfarers  who  may  not  rest  their  feet; 

Their  Pastor's  blessing  —  the  farewells  of  some 

Who  stayed  in  Leyden.     Then  the  sea's  wide  blue !  — 

"They  sailed,"  writ  one,  "  and  as  they  sailed  they  knew, 

That  they  were  Pilgrims  !  " 


212/ 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

On  the  wintry  main 
God  flings  their  lives  as  farmers  scatter  grain. 
His  breath  propels  the  winged  seed  afloat; 
His  tempests  swerve  to  spare  the  fragile  boat; 
Before  his  prompting  terrors  disappear; 
He  points  the  way  while  patient  seamen  steer; 
Till  port  is  reached,  nor  North,  nor  South,  but  Here! 

Here,  where  the  shore  was  rugged  as  the  waves, 

Where  frozen  nature  dumb  and  leafless  lay, 

And  no  rich  meadows  bade  the  Pilgrims  stay, 

Was  spread  the  symbol  of  the  life  that  saves : 

To  conquer  first  the  outer  things ;  to  make 

Their  own  advantage,  unallied,  unbound; 

Their  blood  the  mortar,  building  from  the  ground; 

Their  cares  the  statutes,  making  all  anew; 

To  learn  to  trust  the  many,  not  the  few; 

To  bend  the  mind  to  discipline;  to  break 

The  bonds  of  old  convention,  and  forget 

The  claims  and  barriers  of  class ;  to  face 

A  desert  land,  a  strange  and  hostile  race, 

And  conquer  both  to  friendship  by  the  debt 

That  Nature  pays  to  justice,  love,  and  toil. 

Here,  on  this  rock,  and  on  this  sterile  soil, 

Began  the  kingdom,  not  of  kings,  but  men; 

Began  the  making  of  the  world  again. 

Here  centuries  sank,  and  from  the  hither  brink 

A  new  world  reached  and  raised  an  old-world  link, 

When  English  hands,  by  wider  vision  taught, 

Threw  down  the  feudal  bars  the  Normans  brought, 

And  here  revived,  in  spite  of  sword  and  stake, 

Their  ancient  freedom  of  the  Wapentake ! 

Here  struck  the  seed  —  the  Pilgrims'  roofless  town, 

Where  equal  rights  and  equal  bonds  were  set, 

Where  all  the  people  equal-franchised  met; 

Where  doom  was  writ  of  privilege  and  crown ; 

Where  human  breath  blew  all  the  idols  down ; 

Where  crests  were  nought,  where  vulture  flags  were  furled, 

And  common  men  began  to  own  the  world ! 

All  praise  to  others  of  the  vanguard  then ! 
To  Spain,  to  France;  to  Baltimore  and  Penn ; 
To  Jesuit,  Quaker,  —  Puritan  and  Priest; 
Their  toil  be  crowned  —  their  honors  be  increased ! 
We  slight  no  true  devotion,  steal  no  fame 
From  other  shrines  to  gild  the  Pilgrims'  name. 
As  time  selects,  we  judge  their  treasures  heaped ; 
Their  deep  foundations  laid;  their  harvest  reaped; 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  212 q 

Their  primal  mode  of  liberty;  their  rules 
Of  civil  right;  their  churches,  courts,  and  schools; 
Their  freedom's  very  secret  here  laid  down,  — 
The  spring  of  government  is  the  little  town! 
They  knew  that  streams  must  follow  to  a  spring; 
And  no  stream  flows  from  township  to  a  king. 

Give  praise  to  others,  early-come  or  late, 

For  love  and  labor  on  our  ship  of  state; 

But  this  must  stand  above  all  fame  and  zeal : 

The  Pilgrim  Fathers  laid  the  ribs  and  keel. 

On  their  strong  lines  we  base  our  social  health,  — 

The  man  —  the  home  —  the  town  —  the  commonwealth  ! 

Unconscious  builders?    Yea;  the  conscious  fail! 

Design  is  impotent  if  Nature  frown. 

No  deathless  pile  has  grown  from  intellect. 

Immortal  things  have  God  for  architect,  •> 

And  men  are  but  the  granite  he  lays  down. 

Unconscious?    Yea!     They  thought  it  might  avail 

To  build  a  gloomy  creed  about  their  lives, 

To  shut  out  all  dissent;  but  nought  survives 

Of  their  poor  structure ;  and  we  know  to-day 

Their  mission  was  less  pastoral  than  lay  — 

More  Nation-seed  than  Gospel-seed  were  they! 

The  Faith  was  theirs :  the  time  had  other  needs. 

The  salt  they  bore  must  sweeten  worldly  deeds. 

There  was  a  meaning  in  the  very  wind 

That  blew  them  here  so  few,  so  poor,  so  strong, 

To  grapple  concrete  work,  nor  abstract  wrong. 

Their  saintly  Robinson  was  left  behind 

To  teach  by  gentle  memory ;  to  shame 

The  bigot  spirit  and  the  word  of  flame; 

To  write  dear  mercy  in  the  Pilgrims'  law; 

To  lead  to  that  wide  faith  his  soul  foresaw,  — 

That  no  dejected  race  in  darkness  delves ; 

There  are  no  Gentiles;  but  they  make  themselves; 

That  men  are  one  of  blood  and  one  of  spirit; 

That  one  is  as  the  whole,  and  all  inherit! 

On  all  the  story  of  a  life  or  race, 
The  blessing  of  a  good  man  leaves  its  trace. 
Their  Pastor's  word  at  Leyden  here  sufficed : 
"But  follow  me  as  I  have  followed  Christ!" 
And,  "I  believe  there  is  more  truth  to  come!" 

O  gentle  soul,  what  future  age  shall  sum 
The  sweet  incentive  of  thy  tender  word ! 
Thy  sigh  to  hear  of  conquest  by  the  sword  ■ 


2l2h  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

"  How  happy  to  convert,  and  not  to  slay!" 

When  valiant  Standish  killed  the  chief  at  bay. 

To  such  as  thee  the  Fathers  owe  their  fame ; 

The  Nation  owes  a  temple  to  thy  name. 

Thy  teaching  made  the  Pilgrims  kindly,  free  — 

All  that  the  later  Puritans  should  be. 

Thy  pious  instinct  marks  their  destiny. 

Thy  love  won  more  than  force  or  arts  adroit  — 

It  writ  and  kept  the  deed  with  Massasoit; 

It  earned  the  welcome  Samoset  expressed; 

It  lived  again  in  Eliot's  loving  breast; 

It  filled  the  Compact  which  the  Pilgrims  signed  — 

Immortal  scroll!     the  first  where  men  combined 

From  one  deep  lake  of  common  blood  to  draw 

All  rulers,  rights,  and  potencies  of  law. 

When  waves  of  ages  have  their  motive  spent, 
Thy  sermon  preaches  in  this  Monument, 
Where  Virtue,  Courage,  Law,  and  Learning  sit; 
Calm  Faith  above  them,  grasping  Holy  Writ; 
White  hand  upraised  o'er  beauteous,  trusting  eyes, 
And  pleading  finger  pointing  to  the  skies! 

The  past  is  theirs  —  the  future  ours ;  and  we 
Must  learn  and  teach.     O,  may  our  record  be 
Like  theirs,  a  glory,  symbolled  in  a  stone, 
To  speak  as  this  speaks,  of  our  labors  done. 
They  had  no  model !  but  they  left  us  one. 

Severe  they  were;  but  let  him  cast  the  stone 
Who  Christ's  dear  love  dare  measure  with  his  own. 
Their  strict  professions  were  not  cant  nor  pride. 
Who  calls  them  narrow,  let  his  soul  be  wide ! 
Austere,  exclusive — ay,  but  with  their  faults, 
Their  golden  probity  mankind  exalts. 

They  never  lied  in  practice,  peace,  or  strife ; 

They  were  no  hypocrites;   their  faith  was  clear; 

They  feared  too  much  some  sins  men  ought  to  fear: 

The  lordly  arrogance  and  avarice, 

And  vain  frivolity's  besotting  vice; 

The  stern  enthusiasm  of  their  life 

Impelled  too  far,  and  weighed  poor  nature  down ; 

They  missed  God's  smile,  perhaps,  to  watch  his  frown. 

But  he  who  digs  for  faults  shall  resurrect 

Their  manly  virtues  born  of  self-respect. 

How  sum  their  merits?    They  were  true  and  brave; 

They  broke  no  compact  and  they  owned  no  slave- 

They  had  no  servile  order,  no  dumb  throat; 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  212i 

They  trusted  first  the  universal  vote; 
The  first  were  they  to  practise  and  instil 
The  rule  of  law  and  not  the  rule  of  will ; 
They  lived  one  noble  test :  who  would  be  freed 
Must  give  up  all  to  follow  duty's  lead. 
They  made  no  revolution  based  on  blows, 
But  taught  one  truth  that  all  the  planet  knows, 
That  all  men  think  of,  looking  on  a  throne  — 
The  people  may  be  trusted  with  their  own ! 

In  every  land  wherever  might  holds  sway 

The  Pilgrims'  leaven  is  at  work  to-day. 

The  "  Mayflower's  "  cabin  was  the  chosen  womb 

Of  light  predestined  for  the  nations'  gloom. 

God  grant  that  those  who  tend  the  sacred  flame 

May  worthy  prove  of  their  Forefathers'  name! 

More  light  has  come,  —  more  dangers,  too,  perplex; 

New  prides,  new  greeds,  our  high  condition  vex. 

The  Fathers  fled  from  feudal  lords,  and  made 

A  freehold  state  :  may  we  not  retrograde 

To  lucre-lords  and  hierarchs  of  trade. 

May  we,  as  they  did,  teach  in  court  and  school, 

There  must  be  classes,  but  no  class  shall  rule : 

The  sea  is  sweet,  and  rots  not  like  the  pool. 

Though  vast  the  token  of  our  future  glory, 

Though  tongue  of  man  hath  told  not  such  a  story,  — 

Surpassing  Plato's  dream,  More's  phantasy,  —  still  we 

Have  no  new  principles  to  keep  us  free. 

As  Nature  works  with  changeless  grain  on  grain, 

The  truths  the  Fathers  taught  we  need  again. 

Depart  from  this,  though  we  may  crowd  our  shelves 

With  codes  and  precepts  for  each  lapse  and  flaw, 

And  patch  our  moral  leaks  with  statute  law, 

We  cannot  be  protected  from  ourselves ! 

Still  must  we  keep  in  every  stroke  and  vote 

The  law  of  conscience  that  the  Pilgrims  wrote ; 

Our  seal  their  secret :  Liberty  can  be  ; 

The  State  is  freedom  if  the  Town  is  free. 

The  death  of  nations  in  their  work  began ; 

They  sowed  the  seed  of  federated  Man. 

Dead  nations  were  but  robber-holds ;  and  we 

The  first  battalion  of  Humanity! 

Ail  living  nations,  while  our  eagles  shine, 

One  after  one  shall  swing  into  our  line ; 

Our  freeborn  heritage  shall  be  the  guide 

And  bloodless  order  of  their  regicide; 

The  sea  shall  join,  not  limit;  mountains  stand 

Dividing  farm  from  farm,  not  land  from  land. 


212;"  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

O  People's  Voice!  when  farthest  thrones  shall  hear; 
When  teachers  own;    when  thoughtful  rabbies  know; 
When  artists'  minds  in  world-wide  symbol  show; 
When  serfs  and  soldiers  their  mute  faces  raise ; 
When  priests  on  grand  cathedral  altars  praise ; 
When  pride  and  arrogance  shall  disappear, 
The  Pilgrim's  Vision  is  accomplished  here! 

His  next  appearance  as  the  poet  of  a  great  public  occasion  was 
at  the  opening  of  the  American  Catholic  University,  Washington, 
D.C.,  Nov.  13,  1889.  This  was  the  culmination  of  the  observ- 
ance of  the  Centenary-  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States, 
which  had  begun  in  Baltimore  on  Sunday,  November  10.  Mr. 
O'Reilly  attended  the  Catholic  Congress  held  on  the  two  intervening 
days,  and  at  the  banquet  following  the  university  dedication,  in 
presence  of  two  cardinals  and  the  whole  American  episcopate,  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  the  principal  federal  officials, 
read  the  poem  he  had  prepared  for  the  occasion,  "  From  the 
Heights."  He  was  the  only  layman,  except  the  President  and  the 
Secretary  of  State,  invited  to  speak  in  that  august  assemblage. 

In  the  spring  of  1890  Mr.  O'Reilly  made  a  lecturing  tour  to  the 
far  West,  winning  everywhere  fresh  laurels  and  troops  of  friends. 
Perhaps  his  last  work  outlined  was  a  lecture  based  on  this  trip,  which 
he  intended  to  give  for  the  first  time  early  this  fall,  in  aid  of  the  pro- 
jected Catholic  Home  for  Immigrant  Girls  at  East  Boston. 

He  spoke  in  public  for  the  last  time  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Committee  on  the  Catholic  Congress  of  1893,  held  at  the  Parker 
House,  July  25.  He  was  keenly  interested  in  the  proposed  Catho- 
lic educational  exhibit  at  the  World's  Fair,  in  Chicago,  in  1893, 
and  was  actively  furthering  it  at  the  time  of  his  death.  So  was  he 
called  away  in  the  very  fulness  of  religious,  humane,  and  patriotic 
endeavors,  as  to  his  public  life,  and  in  the  midst  of  deeds  of  kind- 
ness and  self-sacrifice  on  that  side  of  his  existence  of  which  the 
world  knew  little. 

John  Boyle  O'Reilly  was  an  earnest,  uncompromising  Catholic. 
In  his  religious  life  he  did  not  confine  himself  to  the  bare  essentials 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON.  2 1 2k 

of  practical  Catholicity,  but  approached  the  sacraments  in  his  parish 
church  at  regular  intervals,  and  was  a  most  generous  contributor  in 
money  and  services  to  every  work  of  religion,  education,  and 
charity. 

Notre  Dame  University,  Indiana,  in  1882,  and  Georgetown 
University  of  the  Jesuits  at  its  Centenary  in  1889,  conferred  on  him 
the  degree  of  LL.D.,  in  recognition  of  his  services  to  the  Catholic 
cause. 

"  His  value  to  the  Catholic  community  cannot  be  overestimated, 
and  will  never  be  fully  realized  till  he  is  gone,"  said  a  prominent  New 
England  priest  to  the  writer,  a  few  weeks  before  the  lamented  death. 

Cardinal  Gibbons  said,  at  the  news  of  John  Boyle  O'Reilly's 
death:  "  It  is  a  public  calamity  —  not  only  a  loss  to  the  country, 
but  a  loss  to  the  Church,  and  to  humanity  in  general." 

Archbishop  Ryan,  of  Philadelphia,  said :  "  Humanity  can  ill 
spare  such  a  man  as  John  Boyle  O'Reilly  from  its  foremost  ranks."  ' 

It  was  in  character  that  John  Boyle  O'Reilly  was  supremely 
great  and  noble ;  and  in  his  estimate  of  men  and  women  he  was 
wont  to  set  character  above  all  else. 

The  dominant  trait  in  his  own  character  was  mercy.  He  not 
merely  forgave  his  enemies :  he  forgot  their  injuries  to  him.  The 
sufferings  he  endured  for  his  country  in  English  prisons  and  penal 
settlements,  which  would  have  hardened  and  embittered  a  lesser 
man,  only  deepened  his  fellow-feeling  for  the  oppressed,  and  roused 
in  him  a  feeling  of  pitying  wonder  for  the  agents  of  such  oppression. 
He  had  a  just  man's  stern  condemnation  for  the  English  Government's 
iniquities  to  Ireland.  He  had  nothing  but  kindliness  in  his  heart  for 
the  English  people.  When  the  sufferings  he  endured  for  Ireland  had 
wrought  their  perfect  work  in  him,  Ireland  gave  him  to  Humanity. 

He  was  the  sympathizing,  helpful  brother  of  the  Russian  exile, 
the  Indian  ryot,  and  the  ostracized  American  negro. 

The  mercy  that  ruled  his  attitude  to  nations  and  causes  was 
still  more  beautifully  and  tenderly  manifested  in  his  dealings  with 
individuals.  "  Conquer  by  magnanimity  "  was  his  watchword  with 
his  editorial  associates,  both   for  their  personal  practice  and  their 


212?  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

guidance  in  journalism.  He  would  not  have  kept  a  vindictive  man 
or  woman  in  his  employment. 

He  never  attributed  mean  or  malicious  motives.  He  made 
excuses  for  the  most  evil-looking  acts.  He  not  alone  never  wilfully- 
wounded  any  one's  feelings :  he  never  wounded  any  one's  vanity. 
Cardinal  Newman  once  gave  this  definition  of  a  gentleman:  "He  is 
merciful  to  the  absurd."  John  Boyle  O'Reilly  was  one  of  the  few 
men  in  whom  it  was  realized.  He  had  the  finest  tact,  the  most 
delicate  sensibilities.  His  loves  and  his  friendships  but  strengthened 
with  time.  As  the  rector  of  St.  Mary's,  Charlestown,  the  Rev. 
John  W.  McMahon,  truly  said :  "He  was  a  good  husband,  a  good 
father,  a  good  Catholic,  and  a  good  man." 

As  part  of  his  own  befitting  eulogy,  we  may  well  quote  the 
poem  he  wrote  for  Wendell  Phillips :  — 

WENDELL   PHILLIPS. 

What,  shall  we  mourn?     For  the  prostrate  tree  that  sheltered   the   green  young 

wood  ? 
For  the  fallen  cliff  that  fronted  the  sea,  and  guarded  the  fields  from  the  flood? 
For  the  eagle  that  died  in  the  tempest,  afar  from  its  eyrie's  brood? 

Nay,  not  for  these  shall  we  weep ;  for  the  silver  cord  must  be  worn, 
And  the  golden  fillet  shrink  back  at  last,  and  the  dust  to  its  earth  return, 
And  tears  are  never  for  those  who  die  with  their  face  to  the  duty  done ; 
But  we  mourn   for   the   fledglings   left   on    the   waste,    and    the   fields   where   the 
wild  waves  run. 

From  the  midst  of  the  flock  he  defended  the  brave  one  has  gone  to  his  rest; 

And  the  tears  of  the  poor  he  befriended  their  wealth  of  affection  attest; 

From  the  midst  of  the  people  is  stricken  a  symbol  they  daily  saw. 

Set  over  against  the  law  books  of  a  higher  than  human  law, 

For  his  life  was  a  ceaseless  protest,  and  his  voice  was  a  prophet's  cry 

To  be  true  to  the  truth  and  faithful,   though   the  world  were  arrayed  for  the  lie. 

From  the  hearing  of  those  who  hated  the  threatening  voice  has  passed ; 

But  the  lives  of  those  who  believe  to  the  death  are  not  blown  like  a  leaf  on  the 

blast, 
A  sower  of  infinite  seed  was  he,  a  woodman  that  hewed  to  the  light, 
Who  dared  to  be  traitor  to  Union  when  Union  was  traitor  to  Right  1 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON.  212m 

"Fanatic!"  the  insects  hissed,  till  he  taught  them  to  understand 
That  the  highest  crime  may  be  written  in  the  highest  law  of  the  land. 
"Disturber!"  and  "Dreamer!"  the  Philistines  cried,  when  he  preached  an  ideal 

creed, 
Till  they  learned  that  the  men  who  have  changed  the  world,  with  the  world  have 

disagreed ; 
That  the  remnant  is  right,  when  the  masses  are  led  like  sheep  to  the  pen; 
For  the  instinct  of  equity  slumbers  till  roused  by  instinctive  men. 

It  is  not  enough  to  win  rights  from  a  king  and  write  them  down  in  a  book; 
New  men,  new  lights;  and  the  fathers'  code  the  sons  may  never  brook. 
What  is'liberty  now  were  license  then;  their  freedom  our  yoke  would  be; 
And  each  new  decade  must  have  new  men  to  determine  its  liberty. 
Mankind  is  a  marching  army,  with  a  broadening  front  the  while; 
Shall  it  crowd  its  bulk  on  the  farm-paths,  or  clear  to  the  outward  file? 
Its  pioneers  are  those  dreamers  who  heed  neither  tongue  nor  pen 
Of  the  human  spiders  whose  silk  is  wove  from  the  lives  of  toiling  men. 

Come,  brothers,  here  to  the. burial;  but  weep  not,  rather  rejoice, 

For  his  fearless  life  and  his  fearless  death ;  for  his  unequalled  voice, 

Like  a  silver  trumpet  sounding  the  note  of  human  right; 

For  his  brave  heart  always  ready  to  enter  the  weak  one's  fight; 

For  his  soul  unmoved  by  the  mob's  wild  shout  or  the  social  sneer's  disgrace; 

For  his  free-born  spirit  that  drew  no  line  between  class  and  creed  and  race. 

Come,  workers,  here  was  a  teacher,  and  the  lesson  he  taught  was  good ; 

There  are  no  classes  or  races,  but  one  human  brotherhood; 

There  are  no  creeds  to  be  hated,  no  colors  of  skin  debarred; 

Mankind  is  one  in  its  rights  and  wrongs  —  one  right,  one  hope,  one  guard ; 

By  his  life  he  taught,  by  his  death  we  learn  the  great  reformer's  creed ; 

The  right  to  be  free,  and  the  hope  to  be  just,  and  the  guard  against  selfish  greed. 

And  richest  of  all  are  the  unseen  wreaths  on  his  coffin-lid  laid  down 

By  the  toil-stained  hands  of  workmen  —  their  sob,  their  kiss,  and  their  crown. 

Space  fails  us  even  to  indicate  the  messages  of  condolence 
received  from  all  parts  of  America  and  Ireland  on  the  news  of  his 
death. 

The  funeral  of  John  Boyle  O'Reilly  took  place  from  his  parish 
church,  St.  Mary's,  Charlestown,  on  Wednesday,  August  13. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  preceding  day,  his  remains  had  been 
borne  to  the  church  by  six  men,  who  had  been  associates  of  the  sor- 
rows and  dangers  of  his  early  manhood.  They  were  O'Donovan 
Rossa,  Jeremiah  O'Donovan,  Michael    Fitzgerald,  James  A.  Wren, 


21 2  n  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

once  a  Fenian  prisoner ;  Capt.  Lawrence  O'Brien,  who  escaped  from 
prison  in  Ireland,  way  back  in  the  fifties;  and  D.  B.  Cashman,  who 
was  with  O'Reilly  in  Australia.  The  remains  lay  in  state  till  the 
funeral,  watched  all  night  by  the  Sodalities  of  the  parish  and  the 
Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians. 

This  is  an  honor  which  the  Church  rarely  gives  to  a  layman. 
But  the  lamented  dead  deserved  well  of  her.  Patriot  of  two  coun- 
tries, poet,  journalist,  man  of  affairs  —  his  eminence  in  every  one  of 
these  characters  redounded  to  the  honor  and  served  the  interests  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  whose  loyal  son  he  was. 

The  beautiful,  dark  face  was  very  sweet  and  peaceful.  It  wore 
in  death  the  look  familiar  to  those  who  knew  him  best  in  life  —  the 
patient,  pathetic  look  into  which  it  always  settled  in  repose.  On  the 
pulseless  breast  rested  a  bunch  of  shamrocks,  sent  by  an  unknown 
mourner,  who  asked  that  place  for  them ;  and  next  nearest,  as  he 
would  love  to  have  it,  the  offering  of  the  colored  people  of  Boston, 
palm  branches  crossed  on  the  coffin  lid.  A  handful  of  loose,  white 
roses  lay  at  the  foot  of  the  coffin.  Ranged  just  outside  the  sanc- 
tuary rail  were  the  beautiful,  symbolic  floral  tributes  from  associa- 
tions and  personal  friends.  In  the  centre  stood  the  offering  of  the 
Young  Men's  Catholic  Association  of  Boston  College,  a  tablet,  with 
an  open  book,  across  whose  white  pages  was  wrought  in  violets  this 
line  from  his  "Wendell  Phillips :  "  — 

"  A  sower  of  infinite  seed  was  he,  a  woodman  that  hewed  to  the  light." 

No  man  who  ever  died  in  Boston  drew  a  more  diversified  gath- 
ering about  his  bier.  There  were  hundreds  of  priests,  there  were 
Protestant  ministers,  there  were  Grand  Army  men  and  civilians,  pro- 
fessional men,  politicians,  authors,  journalists,  musicians,  actors,  rich 
and  poor,  men  of  various  creeds,  colors,  and  ancestries,  but  all,  in 
the  tears  that  they  shed  together  for  John  Boyle  O'Reilly,  knowing 
"  no  classes  or  races,  but  one  human  brotherhood." 

At  10.30  the  Solemn  Mass  of  Requiem  was  begun,  the 
Rev.  J.  W.  McMahon,  D.D.,  rector  of  St.  Mary's,  celebrant; 
the  Rev.  Charles   O'Reilly,   D.D.,   of  Detroit,    Mich.,  deacon;    the 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON.  2l2o 

Rev.  Richard  Neagle,  Chancellor  of  the  Archdiocese  of  Boston, 
subdeacon ;  the  Rev.  W.  J.  Millorick,  of  Charlestown,  was  master  of 
ceremonies;  the  Rev.  P.  H.  Callanan,  of  Foxboro',  Mass.,  and  the 
Rev.  Louis  Walsh,  of  St.  John's  Seminary,  Brighton,  Mass.,  acolytes ; 
the  Rev.  M.  J.  Doody,  of  Cambridge,  censer-bearer. 

Archbishop  Williams,  who  had  started  for  Boston  directly  the 
sad  tidings  reached  him,  was  stopped  at  Albany,  N.Y.,  by  the  tie-up 
on  the  Central  Railroad,  occasioned  by  the  strike,  and  was  unable  to 
get  through  in  time  for  the  funeral. 

The  eulogy  was  given  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Fulton,  S.J.,  Presi- 
dent of  Boston  College. 

Father  Fulton  had  known  and  loved  John  Boyle  O'Reilly  for 
twenty  years.  Many,  as  they  gazed  on  the  pale,  grief-stricken  face 
of  the  venerable  priest,  as  he  stood  for  many  moments  trying  to  con- 
trol his  utterance,  remembered  a  mournful  gathering,  ten  years  ago, 
when  Father  Fulton,  called  from  long  service  in  Boston  to  another 
field  of  duty,  received  the  farewells  of  his  friends.  John  Boyle 
O'Reilly  wrote  a  poem  for  the  meeting,  which  he  called  "  The  Empty 
Niche."  Why  must  we  always  turn  to  this  man's  own  utterances  for 
his  most  fitting  eulogy?  Who  that  was  present  on  the  day  above 
referred  to  but  recalled  these  lines,  and  their  fitness  to  the  infinitely 
sadder  parting? 

"  The  cold  affection  that  plain  duty  breeds 
May  see  its  union  severed  and  approve; 
But  when  our  bond  is  touched,  it  throbs  and  bleeds  — 
We  pay  no  meed  of  duty,  but  of  love. 

"  As  creeping  tendrils  shudder  from  the  stone, 
The  vines  of  love  avoid  the  frigid  heart ; 
The  work  men  do  is  not  their  test  alone, 
The  love  they  win  is  far  the  better  chart." 

How  the  dead  had  won  that  love  was  thrillingly  shown  by  the 
shudder  of  grief  and  the  wave  of  tears  that  ran  over  all  that  vast 
assemblage  as  Father  Fulton  raised  his  voice  like  a  clarion,  and  the 
walls  echoed  back  the  terrible  sentence,  "  John  Boyle  O'Reilly  is 
dead." 


212/)  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

After  the  sermon  the  last  absolution  was  given,  with  voice 
broken  with  love  and  sorrow,  by  Father  McMahon. 

The  choir  sang  Schmidt's  Requiem,  and  after  the  Mass  the 
"  De  Profundis." 

The  priests  then  arose  and  passed  in  single  file  about  the  coffin 
to  look  for  the  last  time  on  their  cherished  friend,  their  ally  and  sus- 
tainer  in  every  good  work. 

Then  the  coffin  was  moved  out  of  the  middle  aisle  and  set 
close  to  the  sanctuary  rails,  and  all  who  wished  were  bidden  to 
come  and  take  leave  of  the  departed.  Then  followed  a  scene  un- 
precedented. Not  only  all  who  were  in  the  church  arose  and 
claimed  the  sad  privilege,  but  the  multitudes  on  the  streets  with- 
out pressed  in  and  would  not  be  denied.  For  more  than  an  hour 
they  surged  through  the  aisles  and  passed  weeping  before  the  coffin, 
till,  finally,  no  sign  of  the  long  procession  ending,  the  doors  had 
to  be  closed,  out  of  consideration  for  the  mourners,  and  the  remains 
removed  to  the  hearse. 

These  were  the  honorary  pall-bearers :  Captain  Hathaway ; 
Patrick  Donahoe ;  Patrick  Maguire ;  Managing  Editor  John  H. 
Holmes,  of  "The  Herald;"  Col.  Charles  H.  Taylor;  President  T.  B. 
Fitz,  of  the  Catholic  Union;  Gen.  Francis  A.  Walker;  Gen.  M.  T. 
Donohoe,  President  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society;  Dr.  J.  A. 
McDonald;  Health  Commissioner  George  F.  Babbitt;  James  Jeffrey 
Roche ;  and  Thomas  Brennan.  The  remains  were  carried  by  eight 
employes  of  "The  Pilot." 

Then,  as  the  long  procession  moved  slowly  on  to  Calvary, 
traffic  and  movement  ceased  along  the  way,  and  the  tens  of  thousands 
of  strangers  drawn  thither  for  the  Grand  Army  encampment  gazed  with 
clouded  faces  at  Boston's  mourning  for  the  world's  loss. 

Arrived  at  Calvary,  the  priests  gathered  about  the  door  of 
the  receiving  tomb,  and  Father  J.  W.  McMahon  conducted  the  last 
sad  rites.1 

1  The  final  interment  was  made  three  months  later  in  Holyhood  Cemetery,  Brookline, 
Mass.  The  grave  befits  the  man.  It  is  on  the  highest  point  of  the  cemetery,  overshadowed 
by  a  great  boulder,  nature's  monument  to  the  beloved  dead. 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON.  213 

Then  the  door  was  shut,  and  the  sorrowing  multitudes,  trying  to 
ease  their  hearts  by  interchange  of  sympathy  on  the  common  loss, 
and  brokenly  murmured  reasons  for  each  one's  special  sorrow,  reluc- 
tantly left  the  dead.  Never  was  mortal  man  laid  to  rest  with  such 
love  and  grief  and  honor  as  John  Boyle  O'Reilly.. 

Katherine    E.    Conway. 


PATRICK    A.    COLLINS. 

He  is  the  foremost  Democratic  legislator  in  New  England, 
and  possesses  many  of  the  strongly  marked  characteristics  of  his 
race,  combined  with  those  of  the  true  American  citizen.  His  ability, 
both  at  the  bar  and  in  public  life,  has  attracted  the  attention  of  all 
classes  of  citizens  throughout  the  United  States.  His  eloquence 
on  the  platform  has  been  admired  and  praised  by  press  and  people 
at  home  and  abroad.  As  a  lawyer,  he  has  distinguished  himself  by 
his  successful  management  of  many  important  cases  which  have 
involved  large  interests. 

The  story  of  his  life  is  eventful.  He  was  born  near  Fermoy, 
County  Cork,  Ireland,  March  12,  1844;  the  same  year,  by  the 
way,  in  which  his  compatriots,  John  Boyle  O'Reilly  and  John  E. 
Fitzgerald,  were  born.  His  parents  were  Bartholomew  and  Mary 
Leahey  Collins.  Patrick  was  the  youngest  of  a  large  family,  and  his 
father  died  when  he  was  an  infant. 

In  1848  his  mother  immigrated  to  America;  first  settled  in 
Boston,  afterwards  in  Chelsea.  Young  Collins  attended  the  public 
schools  of  the  latter  place,  but  at  the  early  age  of  twelve  years 
obtained  employment  as  an  errand-boy  in  the  office  of  a  Boston 
lawyer.  He  left  there  to  work  in  a  Chelsea  store,  where  he  remained 
during  the  following  winter.  His  brief  experience  in  the  law-office 
kindled  within  him  a  desire  for  the  legal  profession,  and  doubtless 
shaped  his  later  course. 

The  family  subsequently  removed  to  the  West,  and  at  fourteen 
years    of  age   he   was    delving   in   the   coal-fields    of  Ohio ;    eight 


214  THE  IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

years  later  he  was  an  upholsterer  in  Boston,  and  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Legislature ;  at  twenty-six  years,  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  State  Senate,  to  which  body  he  was  reelected  the  fol- 
lowing year ;  and  in  his  fortieth  year  he  was  elected  to  Congress. 
He  began  life  under  the  most  unpromising  circumstances :  from  the 
law-office  and  store,  to  the  farm,  coal-mine,  machine-shop,  and 
grindstone-mill  of  Ohio,  he  rose  gradually,  but  positively,  by  hard 
work,  patient  and  steady  application,  extensive  reading,  judicious 
cultivation,  and  careful  development  of  innate  talent,  to  an  honorable 
and  useful  position.  His  sympathies  have  always  been  with  the 
working-people,  he  having  enjoyed  their  few  attendant  advantages 
and  suffered  their  many  hardships.  In  1866  he  joined  the  Fenian 
Brotherhood,  serving  the  cause  with  voice  and  pen,  and  did  effective 
work  as  an  organizer. 

He  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  following  year.  In  1870  he 
enjoyed  the  unique  distinction  of  being  the  youngest  member  then 
elected  to  the  State  Senate.  The  excitement  and  fascination  of  politi- 
cal life,  however,  did  not  distract  him  from  the  study  of  law,  as  he 
graduated  with  honors  from  the  Harvard  Law  School  with  the  class 
of  1 87 1.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  the  same  year,  and  has  prac- 
tised extensively  ever  since.  During  his  service  at  the  State  House 
he  became  identified  with  most  liberal  and  beneficent  legislation, 
notably  the  ten-hour  law,  admission  of  Catholic  clergymen  to  re- 
formatory, correctional,  and  charitable  institutions,  abolition  of  a 
distinct  oath  for  Catholics,  the  improvement  and  development  of 
public  parks  in  Boston,  and  also  legislation  favorable  towards  secur- 
ing equal  rights  for  foreign-born  citizens.  He  was  for  many  years 
a  member  of  the  Democratic  City  Central  Committee  of  Boston, 
perfecting  and  strengthening  the  efficiency  of  that  organization 
during  his  term  as  president,  in  1873—4.  He  was  for  a  time  Judge- 
Advocate  of  the  First  Brigade,  M.V.M. ;  and  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Gaston  as  Judge-Advocate-General  of  Massachusetts  in 
1875,  whence  comes  his  title  of  General.  He  was  twice  the 
Democratic  candidate  for  State  Auditor,  and  in  1881  was  nomi- 
nated for   the  position  of  Attorney-General.       He   was    elected  at 


d&j^. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  215 

large  from  Massachusetts  to  the  National  Democratic  Conventions 
of  1876  and   1880. 

In  the  latter  year  he  became  a  member  of  the  Democratic  State 
Committee,  and  has  been  its  chairman  since  1884.  General  Collins 
was  elected  to  represent  the  Fourth  Massachusetts  District  in  Con- 
gress in  1882,  reelected  in  1884,  and  although  early  in  1886  he 
issued  a  letter  declining  to  be  considered  as  a  candidate,  he  was, 
nevertheless,  unanimously  renominated  and  reelected  that  year. 

Notwithstanding  his  activity  in  American  politics,  much  of  his 
time  and  ability  have  been  devoted  to  the  cause  of  Ireland.  His 
connection  with  the  Fenian  Brotherhood,  from  1862  to  1870,  secre- 
tary of  the  Philadelphia  Convention,  chairman  of  a  subsequent  one, 
and  the  distinction  of  being  elected  the  first  president  of  the  Irish 
National  Land  League  of  America,  —  all  bespeak  his  loyalty. 

Charles  Stewart  Parnell,  the  great  Irish  leader,  has  repeatedly 
thanked  General  Collins  for  his  valuable  assistance  rendered  to  suf- 
fering Erin,  and  at  the  League  headquarters  in  Dublin  his  portrait 
hangs  beside  that  of  Parnell,  to  speak  for  the  Irish  in  America. 

In  the  summer  of  1887  General  Collins  visited  Ireland  and 
England.  Pie  was  received  with  a  perfect  ovation  by  the  people 
everywhere,  his  fame  having  preceded  him.  In  London  a  compli- 
mentary dinner  was  tendered  him  by  Parnell,  at  which  all  members 
of  the  Irish  Parliamentary  party,  as  well  as  English  and  Scotch 
members,  were  \  resent.  He  was  also  banqueted  by  the  Lord  Mayor 
of  Dublin  and  Co'poration,  and  the  great  and  rare  distinction  of  the 
freedom  of  the  city'"  for  distinguished  services  was  conferred  upon 
him.  In  Cork  he  was  also  received  with  every  mark  of  honor  and 
esteem.  He  was  an  honored  guest  at  the  Ancients'  ceremony  of 
casting  the  dart,  and  at  the  festivities  following. 

In  1888  he  peremptorily  declined  the  use  of  his  name  for  con- 
gressional honors.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Judiciary  Committee 
during  his  whole  service  in  Congress,  and  was  prominently  engaged 
with  many  proposed  acts  of  legislation ;  among  others,  the  Bank- 
ruptcy Bill.  He  headed  the  Massachusetts  delegation  to  the  National 
Democratic  Convention  at  St.  Louis  in  1888;  he  was  unanimously 


216  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

chosen  permanent  chairman,  and  presented  with  the  silver  gavel 
which  he  wielded  on  that  occasion.  He  possesses  the  magnetic 
qualities  that  typify  our  most  eminent  public  speakers ;  his  command- 
ing presence,  dignified  and  pleasing,  is  no  less  attractive  than  the 
tones  of  his  resonant  voice,  which  is  clearly  heard  in  the  largest  halls. 
His  style  of  oratory  is  forceful,  terse,  and  convincing,  impressing  an 
audience  with  the  sincerity  of  an  honest  man  whose  utterances  are 
full  of  good  purposes,  supported  by  logical  proofs,  and  devoid  of 
false  coloring.  General  Collins  has  resided  at  Mt.  Ida,  Dorchester, 
since  1887,  having  removed  there  from  South  Boston.  There,  with 
his  devoted  wife  and  three  children,  his  best  days  of  peace  and 
happiness  are  enjoyed  within  their  home. 

HUGH   O'BRIEN. 

Hon.  Hugh  O'Brien  enjoys  the  proud  distinction  of  having  been 
elevated  to  the  position  of  Mayor  of  Boston  four  successive  years. 
During  his  administration  he  performed  his  duties  fearlessly,  faith- 
fully, and  well.  Born  in  Ireland,  July  13,  1827,  his  childhood  was 
passed  there  until  he  was  five  years  old,  when  he  was  brought  to 
America,  and  was  sent  to  the  Old  Grammar  School  on  Fort  Hill,  in 
Boston,  where  he  graduated.  Young  O'Brien  was  as  notional  and 
studious  as  the  typical  Boston  boy  of  his  day.  Boston  ideas  grew 
with  him,  and,  later  in  life,  the  strong  part  which  the  /  formed  in  his 
mentality  was  made  manifest  in  his  sagacious  public  deeds. 

The  solid  foundation  of  his  education,  which  was  laid  at  school, 
was  builded  upon  in  a  way  that  should  teach  a  valuable  lesson  to  the 
youths  of  to-day.  The  Public  Library  was  his  sancticm  sanctorum. 
He  browsed  among  the  books,  eagerly  read  useful  works,  especially 
historical,  biographical,  and  statistical  books,  which  he  studied  with 
avidity.  He  entered  the  office  of  the  Boston  "  Courier,"  to  learn  the 
printer's  trade,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  and  made  rapid  progress 
while  there.  Later  we  find  him  in  the  book  and  job  printing  office 
of  Messrs.  Tuttle,  Dennett,  &  Chisholm,  on  School  street,  where  he 
became  foreman  at  the  age  of  fifteen.     He  remained  there  several 


. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  217 

years,  until  he  originated  and  published  the  "  Shipping  and  Com- 
mercial List,"  and  has  always  been  its  editor. 

The  experience  which  Mr.  O'Brien  received  while  in  newspaper 
work  would  school  any  young  man  to  a  high  degree  who  was  desirous 
to  advance  in  life.  Mr.  O'Brien's  youthful  life  was  a  compeer  to  his 
manhood :  diligent,  persevering,  determined,  full  of  hope  and  pur- 
pose, combined  with  integrity,  efficiency,  and  a  steady  application  to 
study.  These  manly  characteristics  have  made  him  an  honored 
and  respected  man.  Educational  matters,  literary  societies,  and 
charitable  undertakings  have  always  found  in  him  a  ready  patron 
and  a  strong  supporter.  Mr.  O'Brien  placed  the  "  Shipping  and 
Commercial  List"  in  a  commanding  position  before  the  mercantile 
and  commercial  markets.  Merchants  relied  upon  it  for  accurate 
trade  reference.  The  first  annual  reports  of  Boston's  trade  and  com- 
merce were  issued  by  Mr.  O'Brien ;  that  volume  has  been  adopted  for 
years  by  the  Merchants'  Exchange. 

He  met  the  wealthiest  and  most  prominent  merchants  of  Boston 
while  engaged  on  his  newspaper  work.  These  gentlemen,  whose 
intimacy  with  him  enabled  them  to  gain  an  insight  into  his  methods 
and  study  his  character,  during  the  past  forty  years,  praise  him  highly 
for  his  honesty,  business  sagacity,  and  successful  management  of 
affairs.  While  the  city's  population  increased  from  75,000  inhab- 
itants to  over  400,000,  Mr.  O'Brien  familiarized  himself  with  the 
many  changes  in  business  arrangements,  and  the  almost  countless 
enterprises  which  have  been  managed  in  Boston.  He  has  been  the 
custodian  of  trust-funds  for  many  purposes,  which  have  been  placed 
in  his  hands  by  prominent  business  men.  He  has  kept  sacred  every 
trust.  His  ability  as  a  financier  is  unquestionable,  and  as  president  of 
the  Union  Institution  for  Savings,  treasurer  of  the  Franklin  Typo- 
graphical Society,  and  a  director  in  various  charitable  institutions,  his 
record  is  excellent.  His  natural  abilities  and  business  training  fitted 
him  for  public  life.  He  attracted  the  attention  of  the  people,  and  in 
1875  was  elected  to  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  when  the  Boston 
"Advertiser"  referred  to  him  as  "well  known  in  the  community,  and 
has  the  respect  and  confidence  of  every  one."     He  served  as  alderman 


218  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

during  seven  years,  from  1874,  and  he  was  chairman  of  the  Board 
four  years. 

The  people  scrutinized  his  public  actions  while  on  the  Board, 
and  approved  of  his  course  throughout.  His  official  attention  was 
always  promptly  given  to  all  matters  relating  to  the  welfare  of 
Boston  or  to  the  people  thereof.  Good  pay  for  laborers,  purification 
and  improvement  of  the  water-supply,  a  useful  system  of  parks, 
sanitary  reforms,  schools,  abolition  of  the  poll-tax,  and  low  taxation, — 
all  received  his  earnest  advocacy  and  support.  His  successful  efforts 
are  well  known  to  all  Bostonians.  Alderman  O'Brien  was  elected 
Mayor  in  December,  1884,  for  the  year  1885.  The  old  city  charter 
was  in  force,  and  his  splendid  work  under  that  instrument  was  full  of 
serviceable  deeds.  Mayor  O'Brien's  sterling  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart  were  efficiently  applied  to  stimulating  and  accomplishing  the 
work  of  good  government  in  its  various  branches.  The  citizens  ap- 
preciated his  services,  and  substantially  sanctioned  his  management, 
by  reelecting  him  Mayor,  to  serve  during  the  years  1885,  1886,  1887, 
and  1888.  Anew  city  charter  was  established  during  his  adminis- 
tration, which  made  him  directly  responsible  for  the  honest  and 
efficient  regulation  of  the  city's  business.  He  proved  equal  to  the 
task,  and  was  much  admired  and  praised  by  the  press  and  public  for 
his  meritorious  achievements.  His  public  speaking  is  of  the  earnest, 
forcible,  and  argumentative  style,  and  his  honest  utterances  and  solid 
reasoning  often  carry  conviction  to  his  hearers  where  the  brilliant 
orator  would  fail  to  produce  the  same  effect. 

The  cause  of  labor  and  the  men  who  toil  have  ever  found  a 
champion  in  Mayor  O'Brien,  and  while  most  eloquent  when  defending 
their  interests,  the  memories  of  his  own  past  years  of  labor  have 
ever  been  present  to  his  mind  and  impelled  him  to  demand  justice  for 
the  working-men  of  to-day.  In  November,  1888,  the  people  again 
nominated  him  for  Mayor ;  he  received  a  large  vote,  but  was  defeated 
by  the  Republican  candidate,  Mr.  Thomas  N.  Hart. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  2U» 


PATRICK   SARSFIELD   GILMORE. 

Patrick  Sarsfield  Gilmore,  musician  and  bandmaster,  was  born 
in  Ballygar,  County  Galway,  Ireland,  Dec.  25,  1829.  He  received  a 
common-school  education  in  his  native  place  from  one  of  the  Irish 
schoolmasters  of  that  period.  Like  most  boys  who  were  born  on 
the  Emerald  Isle,  his  school-days  did  not  last  many  years,  and  while 
quite  young  he  was  sent  to  work.  He  was  first  employed  by  a  whole- 
sale grocer,  with  whom  he  served  an  apprenticeship  of  seven  years. 
He  displayed  an  early  liking  for  drums  and  fifes,  and  was  looked 
upon  by  those  who  knew  him  as  a  musical  prodigy.  Every  spare 
moment  after  working-hours  was  devoted  to  musical  instruments,  and 
by  the  time  that  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Athlone  Amateur  Band,  and  had  composed  music  of  a  military  kind 
for  his  townsmen.  At  the  age  of  nineteen,  however,  he  sailed  for 
America,  and  landed  in  Boston.  In  1848,  a  few  weeks  after  his 
arrival  here,  he  became  a  cornet  player  for  the  Charlestown  Band. 
A  short  time  afterward  he  was  engaged  as  leader  of  the  Suffolk 
Band,  succeeding  Edward  Kendall,  the  bugler.  Later  he  made 
another  change,  this  time  to  join  the  Brigade  Band,  and  take  the 
place  of  John  Bartlett,  who  had  held  the  position  of  trumpeter. 
Finally,  he  left  Boston  for  a  while,  and  accepted  a  position  made 
vacant  by  Jerome  Smith,  of  the  Salem  Band.  The  young  musician 
had  by  this  period  made  a  reputation  as  the  E-flat  cornet  player  of 
the  country.  He  remained  with  the  Salem  Band  for  about  three 
years,  and  while  there  conceived  the  idea  of  fathering  the  Boston 
Common  Fourth-of-July  concerts,  also  the  promenade  concerts  after- 
ward given  at  Music  Hall.  In  1858  he  returned  to  Boston,  where  his 
projects  were  worked  out.  During  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  the 
Twenty-fourth  Massachusetts  Regiment  Band,  going  with  the  Burn- 
side  Expedition  to  North  Carolina.  In  about  a  year  the  band  was 
mustered  out  of  service  and  returned  to  Boston,  where  he  aided  in 
the  organization  of  a  number  of  bands  to  be  attached  to  the  brigades, 
under  general  orders  from  the  War  Department.     Governor  Andrew 


220  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

also  commissioned  him  as  Bandmaster-General  and  Chief  Musician 
of  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  clothing  him  with  the  authority  to 
enlist  musicians  for  military  service.  He  recruited  bands  for  the 
Department  of  the  Gulf,  under  command  of  Major-General  Banks, 
and,  upon  request  of  the  State  authorities,  went  in  charge  of  those 
bands  to  New  Orleans.  While  there,  General  Banks  gave  him  the 
position  of  director  of  all  the  musical  organizations  connected 
with  the  department.  At  New  Orleans  he  was  as  energetic  as 
ever,  and  projected  the  plan  of  having  a  chorus  of  ten  thousand 
school  children  and  five  hundred  musicians,  with  infantry  and 
artillery  accompaniments,  in  a  grand  national  concert,  to  aid 
in  the  inauguration  of  Michael  Hahn,  the  first  governor  of 
Louisiana  elected  under  the  Union  administration,  March  4,  1864, 
just  before  the  close  of  the  war.  Notwithstanding  the  prejudice 
of  the  parents,  the  "  Star- Spangled  Banner"  was  sung  by  ten 
thousand  Southern  children,  and  the  success  of  the  affair  in 
every  way  was  made  complete.  Later  he  returned  to  Boston  and 
inaugurated  a  series  of  concerts,  introducing  to  the  public  Madame 
Legrange,  Gazzamuyi,  Johannsen,  Frederich,  Guerrabella,  Carlotta, 
Patti,  Adelaide  Phillips,  Camilla  Urso,  Teresa  Carreno,  Brignoli, 
Stigelli,  Carl  Formes,  and  others.  In  1868  he  was  invited  to  arrange 
a  ball  and  series  of  concerts  at  Crosby's  Opera  House,  Chicago.  In 
1869  he  carried  through  successfully  the  great  National  Peace  Jubilee 
in  Boston,  at  which  there  was  a  chorus  of  ten  thousand  voices  and 
one  thousand  musical  instruments,  the  attendance  numbering  about 
sixty  thousand  persons  daily.  He  also  engineered  with  masterly  skill 
the  gigantic  Music  Jubilee  of  All  Nations,  1872,  which  was  partici- 
pated in  by  a  chorus  of  twenty  thousand  voices  and  two  thousand 
musical  instruments.  Never  before  in  the  world's  history  had  there 
been  such  a  gathering  of  musicians,  and  the  attendance  was  estimated 
at  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  daily.  The  executive 
committee  gave  Mr.  Gilmore  $50,000,  as  a  present,  at  the  close  of 
the  jubilee.  About  1873  he  left  Boston  and  took  up  his  residence 
in  New  York,  where  he  organized  the  Twenty-second  Regiment 
Band,  which  is  now  considered  the  best  military  band  in  the  country. 


m 


■".".    ■■ "  ■  /'.  ■  ■ '  ■  ■.  ■  ■'   . ,  ■ ., 


I® 


GOV.    THOMAS    TALBOT. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  221 

In  recent  years  the  band,  under  the  direction  of  its  accomplished 
band-master,  has  given  concerts  in  all  the  principal  cities  of  this 
country  and  Europe,  and  during  the  summer  months  of  each  year 
render  a  high  order  of  sea-shore  music  at  Manhattan  Beach,  New 
York. 


GOV.    THOMAS   TALBOT. 

Thomas  Talbot  was  born  in  Cambridge,  N.Y.,  Sept.  7,  1 8 1 8  ;  died 
at  Billerica,  Mass.,  Oct.  6,  1885.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of 
Ireland,  who,  shortly  after  marriage,  immigrated  to  this  country.  The 
father  was  a  weaver,  and  first  obtained  employment  at  his  trade  in 
Cambridge,  N.Y.  The  family  moved  about  from  place  to  place,  and 
finally  located  in  Northampton,  Mass.,  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  sent  to  work,  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  in  the  carding-room  of  a 
woollen  factory  in  the  town.  When  he  had  earned  money  enough  he 
secured  what  schooling  privileges  the  vicinity  allowed,  studying  fully 
as  faithfully  as  he  had  worked.  In  the  meantime,  two  of  his 
brothers,  Charles  P.  and  Edward,  had  embarked  in  the  business  of 
the  manufacture  of  broadcloths,  in  Williamsburg,  and  the  family 
subsequently  removed  to  that  place,  where  Thomas  accepted  a 
situation  in  their  mill.  Through  assiduous  attention  to  his  duties, 
and  a  marked  fidelity  to  the  advancement  of  the  interests  of  his 
employers,  he  rose  rapidly  in  their  esteem  and  confidence,  and, 
when  twenty  years  of  age,  was  given  the  overseership  of  the  finishing- 
room.  During  the  winter  terms  of  1838  and  1839  young  Talbot 
managed  to  attend  Cunningham  Academy,  which  was  the  only  high- 
school  experience,  and  the  last  educational  opportunity  of  the  kind, 
that  he  was  favored  with.  In  the  spring  of  1839  he  went  to  Pitts- 
field,  where  he  worked  for  a  short  time  as  a  finisher  of  broadcloths 
for  the  Pontoosuc  Manufacturing  Company.  In  December  of  that 
year  his  brother  Charles  removed  from  Lowell  to  North  Billerica, 
rented  an  old  grist-mill,  and  transferred  his  business  of  grinding 
dyestuffs  to  that  place.  Shortly  after,  he  invited  Thomas  to  join 
him,  and    the    brothers  associated    themselves    in    business,    under 


222  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

the    style    of    C.   P.   Talbot    &    Co.       The  business  was    a    success 
from    the    start,   and    in    185 1    the    firm  was    enabled    to    purchase 
the   water-power  of  the    Middlesex    Canal  Company  of  that  town. 
This     investment    proving    to     be    a    very    advantageous     one,  the 
brothers  increased  their  business    in  1857  by  the  erection  of  a  new 
mill   for  the   manufacture   of  woollen   flannels.     In  1848  Mr.  Talbot 
"was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Rogers,  of  Billerica,  who  died 
three    years    later.      He    remained   a  widower   until    1855,  when    he 
formed  a  second  union,  with  Miss  Isabella  W.  Hayden.     Mr.  Talbot 
first  entered   public   life  when   thirty-three  years  old,  and  from  that 
time  he  was  often  called  upon  to   fill   positions   of  honor  and  trust, 
until  he  became  the   chief  executive   of  the  Commonwealth  of  Mas- 
sachusetts.    At  the  fall  election  in  1 85  1  he  was  chosen  to  represent 
the  Billerica  district  in  the  Legislature,  and    in    1852   he  was   elected 
as  a  member  of  the  convention  to  revise  the  constitution  of  the  State, 
in  both  of  which  positions  he  made  an   excellent   record.     In    1864 
Mr.  Talbot  was  elected   a   member   of  the  Executive  Council.     For 
five  consecutive  years  he  held   that  honorable  position  in  association 
with   Governors  Andrew,  Bullock,   and   Clafiin.     There  he  enjoyed 
the  most  abundant  opportunities  for  acquainting  himself  with  all  the 
affairs  of  the  State,  and  in  those  years  proved  himself  to  be  one  of 
the  best  of  councillors.     In    1872  he  received  the  Republican  nomi- 
nation  for   Lieutenant-Governor,  the  ticket  being   headed   by  Hon. 
William   B.   Washburn.     The  ticket  came    off  victorious,    and    Mr. 
Talbot  was  reelected  the   following  year.     During  the  session  of  the 
Legislature  of  1874  Governor  Washburn  was  chosen  to  fill  the  vacancy 
in  the  Senate   of   the   United    States   caused  by  the  death   of   Mr. 
Sumner,  and  from  the  1st  of  May  in  that  year  until  Governor  Gaston 
was   inaugurated,    Lieutenant-Governor   Talbot  was  the  acting-gov- 
ernor of  the  State.     Soon  after  he  assumed  the  duties  of  the  guber- 
natorial office,  the  ten-hour  law  was  presented  to  him  for  approval, 
and  he  readily  gave  his  signature  to  the  act,  which  has  since  been  the 
law    of  the    State.     For   the   next  three  years    he    devoted  himself 
principally  to  his  manufacturing  business.     In    1878   Mr.  Talbot  was 
.nominated  by  the  Republicans  of  the   State   as   their   candidate  for 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  223 

Governor,  and  in  a  bitter  political  contest  defeated  his  opponent, 
Gen.  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  the  Democratic  candidate.  The  record  of 
Governor  Talbot's  administration  was  a  brilliant  one,  and  in  every 
public  act  he  showed  himself  in  favor  of  economy  and  retrenchment, 
and  in  strong  opposition  to  all  unnecessary  expenditure  of  public 
money.  He  also  approved  the  bill  to  extend  to  public  charitable 
and  reformatory  institutions  the  provisions  of  an  act  of  1875,  which 
provided  the  inmates  liberty  of  worship  according  to  the  dictates  of 
their  conscience.  After  rendering  efficient  service  to  the  State  as 
governor  during  1879,  Mr.  Talbot  retired  to  private  life,  and  con- 
tinued his  usefulness  in  the  community  as  mill-owner  and  em- 
ployer. 

THE   MILMORES. 

Joseph  Milmore,  sculptor,  was  born  in  Sligo,  Ireland,  Oct.  22, 
1842,  and  died  in  Geneva,  Switzerland,  Jan.  10,  1886.  His  residence 
in  Boston  dates  back  to  the  time  of  his  infancy,  and  he  was  a  pupil 
at  the  Brimmer  and  Quincy  Grammar  schools.  During  his  boyhood 
he  was  apprenticed  to  a  cabinet-maker.  He  disliked  the  occupation, 
and  afterwards  became  a  marble-cutter,  and  developed  an  admirable 
taste  for  architectural  work.  He  and  his  brother  Martin  associated 
themselves,  and  together  they  executed  the  "  Sphinx,"  now  in  Mount 
Auburn  Cemetery,  and  designed  and  executed  the  statuary  on  Hor- 
ticultural Hall  building  in  Boston.  A  large  number  of  soldiers' 
monuments  were  done  by  these  talented  brothers,  and  they  stand  in 
many  places  throughout  the  country,  including  the  one  on  Boston 
Common,  which  cost  $80,000,  and  is  the  most  noteworthy  of  all. 

Martin  Milmore,  sculptor,  was  born  in  Sligo,  Ireland,  Sept. 
14,  1844,  and  died  in  Boston  Highlands,  Mass.,  July  21,  1883. 
He  came  from  Ireland  to  Boston  in  185 1,  and  was  taught 
lessons  in  wood-carving,  when  quite  young,  by  his  elder  brother, 
Joseph.  Martin  graduated  from  the  Latin  School  in  i860,  and 
afterwards  entered  the  studio  of  Thomas  Ball.  Many  years  later 
he  established  himself  in  his  own  studio  in  Boston.  He  cut  a 
statuette,  entitled  "Devotion,"  for  the  Sanitary  Fair   in    1863,  and 


224  THE    IRISH   IN   BOSTON. 

received  the  contract  from  the  city  for  the  Soldiers  and  Sailors' 
Monument  on  the  Common.  He  then  sailed  for  Rome,  where  he 
spent  some  time  in  study,  completing  designs  for  parts  of  the  monu- 
ment while  there.  It  was  unveiled  in  1877.  Mr.  Milmore  led  a 
very  busy  life  while  in  Rome,  modelling  the  busts  of  Pope  Pius  IX., 
Wendell  Phillips,  Charles  Sumner,  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  and  other 
eminent  men.  He  designed  the  soldiers'  monument  at  Charlestown, 
and  also  the  one  at  Forest  Hills  Cemetery.  His  works  include  busts 
of  Longfellow,  Theodore  Parker,  and  George  Ticknor,  in  the  Public 
Library,  and  the  large  ideal  figures,  "  Ceres,"  "  Flora,"  and  "  Pomona," 
in  granite,  on  Horticultural  Hall.  His  bust  of  Charles  Sumner, 
which  was  presented  to  George  William  Curtis  by  the  State  of  Massa- 
chusetts, after  the  delivery  of  the  latter's  eulogy  before  the  Legislature 
in  1878,  has  been  placed  by  Mr.  Curtis  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum. 
Among  Milmore's  other  public  works  are  his  statue  of  "  Amer- 
ica," at  Fitchburg;  his  statue  of  Gen.  Sylvanus  Thayer,  at  West 
Point ;  and  the  "  Weeping  Lion,"  at  Waterville,  Me.  His  last  work 
was  a  bust  of  Daniel  Webster,  which  had  been  ordered  by  New 
Hampshire  for  the  State  House  at  Concord. 

HON.    WILLIAM    PARSONS. 

He  was  one  of  the  best  representatives  of  the  Irish  race  that 
has  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  Western  World.  By  his  scholarship, 
vigor  of  thought,  and  chastity  of  expression,  he  had  everywhere 
attracted  and  captivated  the  intellectual  classes,  and  with  them  was 
the  accepted  favorite  of  the  platform.  At  the  same  time  his  elo- 
quence and  genial  humor  made  him  a  source  of  universal  attraction. 
Everywhere  he  lectured  he  was  recalled,  without  a  single  excep- 
tion. He  had  the  most  brilliant  record  ever  achieved  in  this  country 
by  any  transatlantic  literary  orator.  He  was  engaged  every  night 
throughout  the  lecture  season  in  the  different  large  cities  of  this 
country,  when  not  bent  on  European  travel. 

He  was  the  only  European  lecturer  who  had  held  his  American 
audiences   for  a  consecutive  number   of  years.     For  nearly  twenty 


BIO  GRA  PHICA  L    SKE  TCHES. 


225 


years  he  had  regularly  come  to  America,  and  his  rare  eloquence 
was  welcomed  by  large  audiences  in  all  our  cities.  He  was  a 
lecturer  of  the  first  order,  an  orator  who  ranked  with  the  greatest 
names  of  the  lyceum,  —  eloquent,  graceful,  learned,  witty,  and  im- 
pressive, —  an  Irishman  proud  of  his  country  and  devoted  to  her 
cause. 

Mr.  Parsons  be- 
longed to  the  ancient 
Protestant  house  of  Par- 
sons, Earls  of  Rosse,  and 
was  closely  related  to  the 
well-known  constructor 
of  the  great  telescope, 
the  late  Earl  of  Rosse, 
president  of  the  British 
Association,  whose  name  ':' 
may  be  associated  with 
those  of  Franklin,  Arago, 
Humboldt,  and  the  great 
luminaries  of  the  philo- 
sophic fields  of  science. 
He  was  born  at  Clontarf, 
near  Dublin,  in  1823,  and 
received  his  education  at 
the  Academy  of  Edin- 
burgh under  Dr.  Wil- 
liams, the  famous  Hom- 
eric scholar,  the  friend  and  associate  of  Sydney  Smith,  founder  of 
"  The  Edinburgh  Review."  He  graduated  at  the  University  of  Edin- 
burgh, under  Professor  Wilson,  the  "  Christopher  North"  of  "Black- 
wood," and  the  erudite  Pillans ;  subsequently  entering  Lincoln's  Inn, 
London,  to  prepare  for  the  bar.  He  was  then  engaged  on  one  of 
the  leading  metropolitan  newspapers,  and  on  many  occasions  con- 
tributed papers  of  eminent  ability  to  the  magazine  literature  of  the 
day. 


226  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

Following  the  natural  bent  of  his  tastes  and  talents,  he  devoted 
himself  to  the  lecture  platform  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  where 
he  at  once  achieved  a  signal  success,  and  became,  perhaps,  the  most 
popular  public  lecturer  in  the  United  Kingdom.  Meanwhile,  the 
national  movement  taking  place  for  an  extension  of  the  franchise, 
eventuating  in  Mr.  Disraeli's  bill  for  household  suffrage,  Mr.  Parsons 
entered  the  political  arena,  where  he  became  a  stanch  supporter  of 
the  people's  rights,  and  one  of  the  most  powerful  advocates  of  the 
reform.  Here  he  attracted  the  attention  of  the  leading  men  of  the 
popular  cause,  and  of  its  chief  inspirer,  John  Bright,  who  was  so 
struck  by  the  peculiar  force  and  vivacity  of  his  style  as  to  emphati- 
cally declare  that  Mr.  Parsons'  oratory  electrified  his  hearers.  The 
Reform  League  considered  him  as  by  far  their  most  effective  speaker, 
and  always  placed  him  where  they  anticipated  the  strongest  oppo- 
sition to  their  views.  As  an  evidence  of  the  appreciation  in  which 
he  was  held,  he  was  earnestly  solicited  to  put  himself  in  nomination 
as  a  candidate  for  a  seat  in  the  British  Parliament,  to  represent  one 
of  the  Yorkshire  boroughs.  At  Bradford,  England,  he  was  held  the 
champion  of  the  workmen,  who  frequently  testified  their  gratitude 
for  his  advocacy  of  their  cause. 

There  was  a  novel  power  and  freshness  in  his  style,  eminently 
his  own,  which  rendered  it  captivating  to  his  hearers ;  the  treatment 
of  his  subject,  whether  literary  or  political,  was  picturesque  and  lucid. 
He  had  a  keen  sense  of  humor  and  a  poetic  fancy,  and,  above  all 
an  earnest  sincerity  pervaded  the  varied  graces  of  an  accomplished, 
speaker.  Illustration  and  anecdote  were  poured  forth  with  consum- 
mate skill,  throwing  light  and  shade  upon  the  topic  under 
consideration.  In  the  description  of  natural  scenery  he  was  graphic 
in  the  extreme.  In  the  close  and  analytical  delineation  of  character 
Mr.  Parsons  exhibited  rare  power,  and  portrayed  his  principal  figures 
in  a  manner  life-like  and  vivid. 

When  but  recently  arrived,  a  stranger  in  this  country,  he  had 
ready  acceptance  at  once  yielded  to  him  from  the  American  press, 
vying  with  the  eulogies  of  the  press  of  their  transatlantic  brethren- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  221 

The  New  York  "  Herald,"   in   its  report  of  his  debut  in  the  Cooper 
Institute,  said  :  — 

He  spoke  without  notes  or  manuscript,  and  with  a  vigor,  fluency,  and 
beauty  of  language  that  evoked  repeated  rounds  of  applause,  such  as  is  rarely 
heard  in  the  Cooper  Institute.  His  peroration  might  very  well  answer  for  a  classic 
model  of  scholastic  declamation. 

He  brought  to  this  country  the  most  cordial  commendations 
from  distinguished  Englishmen  and  leading  British  journals.  His 
great  popularity  in  the  New  England  States  is  well  known ;  in  Boston 
he  lectured  eighty  times,  and  wherever  he  spoke  in  the  West  and 
Middle  States,  as  well  as  in  the  East,  he  was  invited  to  return  the 
following  season ;  and  he  was  repeatedly  recalled  in  the  same  course. 

Mr.  Parsons  died  in  the  city  of  Boston.  The  deceased  passed 
away  on  the  evening  of  Jan.  i,  1888,  aged  65  years.  Throughout 
the  United  States  the  name  of  "  Hon.  William  Parsons,  of  Ireland," 
as  he  was  usually  announced,  was  mourned. 

In  his  last  illness,  which  was  brief,  confining  him  only  a  few 
days,  he  asked  for  the  services  of  a  Catholic  priest,  saying,  "  My 
mother  was  a  Catholic,  and  I  want  to  die  in  her  religion."  He  was 
attended  by  a  good  priest,  who  was  also  his  old  friend,  Rev.  Denis 
O'Callaghan,  of  St.  Augustine's  Church,  South  Boston,  whom  he 
wished  to  hear  his  confession ;  and  before  his  death  he  received  from 
his  hand  the  sacraments  of  the  Church. 

PATRICK   DONAHOE. 

Patrick  Donahoe,  the  founder  of  the  "  Pilot "  and  the  Nestor  of 
Catholic  journalism  in  New  England,  was  born  in  Munnery,  Parish 
of  Kilmore,  County  Cavan,  Ireland,  March  17,  18 14.  He  came  to 
this  country  in  1825,  and  located  in  Boston.  After  a  few  years' 
schooling  here,  while  still  in  his  teens  he  entered  the  printing-office 
of  the  "  Columbian  Sentinel,"  where  he  acquired  the  art  of  type- 
setting and  other  branches  of  the  business.  The  prejudice  was  very 
great  against  Irish  Catholics  in  those  days,  and  amounted  to  almost 


/ 


228  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

an  exclusion  from  the  social  circle.  There  were  but  few  Catholics  in 
Boston  at  that  time,  and  only  one  little  church  to  accommodate  the 
Catholics  for  miles  around.  In  no  way  discouraged  by  the  prevail- 
ing proscription,  however,  the  youth  fought  his  way  until  he  reached 
manhood,  all  the  time  having  in  view  the  establishment  of  a  paper 
to  defend  his  religion  and  race  ;  and  the  opportunity  finally  arrived. 

"  The  Jesuit,"  a  paper  established  by  Bishop  Fenwick,  of 
Boston,  was  about  to  be  discontinued,  and  Mr.  Donahoe,  with  Mr. 
Devereaux,  secured  the  paper,  and  changed  the  name  to  the 
"  Literary  and  Catholic  Sentinel."  This  paper  did  not  prove 
successful,  however,  and  was  subsequently  abandoned.  Repulsed, 
but  not  defeated,  Messrs.  Donahoe  and  Devereaux,  in  a  few  years 
later,  again  began  the  publication  of  another  Catholic  paper,  the 
Boston  "  Pilot,"  which,  under  his  management,  reached  a  popularity 
probably  not  surpassed  by  any  Catholic  or  Irish  paper  on  the 
continent.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  Mr.  Donahoe  took 
an  active  part  in  the  organization  of  the  Irish  troops  for  the  defence 
of  the  Union.  He  was  treasurer  of  the  funds  for  equipping  and 
preparing  the  gallant  old  Irish  Ninth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  com- 
manded by  Col.  Thomas  Cass,  for  service,  and  on  the  day  of  their 
departure  presented  the  regiment  with  ten  bags  of  gold,  each  con- 
taining one  hundred  gold  dollars,  —  one  gold  dollar  for  each  man. 

He  also  assisted  in  the  formation  of  the  Fangh-a-Ballagh, 
Twenty-eighth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  and  aided  the  boys  at 
Camp  Cameron,  Cambridge,  during  the  early  period  of  the  war. 
His  paper,  the  "  Pilot,"  also  took  a  leading  part  in  encouraging  and 
sustaining  the  Federal  cause. 

Mr.  Donahoe  accumulated  a  large  fortune,  notwithstanding  he 
gave  away  large  sums  to  various  charitable  purposes ;  to  one 
institution  alone,  in  Boston,  he  gave  not  far  from  ten  thousand 
dollars.  In  1872,  St.  John's  Church,  on  Moore  street,  this  city, 
was  offered  for  sale,  the  congregation  having  purchased  another 
on  Hanover  street.  He  saw  the  great  need  of  a  school  in  that 
section  of  the  city,  and  purchased  the  building,  and  made  it  over  to 
the  Rt.   Rev.  Bishop  Williams.     On  this  estate  he  paid  some  six  or 


■2tfT.    I       : 


"W 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES.  229 

seven  thousand  dollars,  interest  on  the  original  purchase,  $20,000. 
His  intention  was  to  pay  the  purchase-money,  and  he  probably  would 
have  done  so  were  it  not  for  the  great  fire  and  other  financial  disas- 
ters. There  is  now  a  flourishing  school  in  the  building,  of  some  nine 
or  ten  hundred  children  (girls),  under  the  charge  of  the  good  Sisters 
of  Notre  Dame.  Scarcely  a  church  in  New  England  that  did  not 
receive  of  his  bounty.  The  poor  priest  from  Ireland  experienced 
his  charity  and  hospitality.  The  American  College  at  Rome,  Mill 
Hill  College,  England,  for  the  education  of  priests  for  the  colored 
race,  and  other  foreign  institutions,  partook  of  his  charity. 

The  great  fire  in  Boston,  in  November,  1872,  destroyed  his 
splendid  granite  block,  which  cost  to  erect  $150,000.  His  book 
stock,  stereotype  plates,  etc.,  to  the  value  of  $100,000,  were 
destroyed.  Mr.  Donahoe  had  a  fine  catalogue  of  Catholic  works, 
and  books  relating  to  Ireland.  All  were  swept  away  in  a  few 
hours.  The  building  was  one  of  the  finest  in  the  city.  This  was 
a  terrible  blow.  The  work  of  a  lifetime  swept  away  by  the  fire 
fiend  !  A  few  weeks  after  the  great  fire,  Mr.  Donahoe  was  burnt 
out  a  second  time ;  his  bookstore  on  Washington  street  was  de- 
stroyed  in  May,  1873. 

Nothing  daunted,  Mr.  Donahoe  commenced  to  erect  a  suitable 
place  for  his  business,  and  built  a  large  and  commodious  structure  on 
Boylston  street,  which  he  occupied  in  seven  or  eight  months  after  the 
great  November  fire. 

The  severe  financial  losses  which  he  incurred,  however,  were  so 
extended  that  he  was  compelled  to  fail  in  business  shortly  afterwards. 
In  addition  to  his  large  newspaper  and  publishing  business,  he  had 
previously  opened  a  private  bank,  where  he  took  money  on  deposit. 
At  the  time  of  his  failure  he  was  indebted  to  depositors  to  the 
amount  of  $73,000.  His  Grace  Archbishop  Williams  came  to 
the  rescue,  and  purchased  a  three-fourths  interest  in  the  "  Pilot." 

He  placed  it  under  the  editorial  and  business  management  of 
John  Boyle  O'Reilly,  and.  from  that  time  forward  yearly  instalments 
from  the  earnings  of  the  paper  were  paid  to  the  depositors,  until 
1883,  when  the  full  principal  was  returned.     The  business  adversity 


230  THE    IRISH   IN   BOSTON. 

which   Mr.   Patrick  Donahoe  was  subjected  to  was  due  to   many  un- 
fortunate causes. 

He  was  in  the  habit  of  assisting  his  friends  by  indorsing  their 
paper,  to  enable  them  to  carry  on  their  business,  and  in  this  way  he 
lost  about  $250,000.  In  the  great  Boston  fire  he  lost  over  $350,000. 
To  these  may  be  added  the  losses  of  two  other  fires,  which  took 
away  all  his  surplus  capital.  He  had  still  the  means  to  pay  every 
dollar  he  owed;  but  when  the  panic  came,  and  the  friends  who  had 
lent  him  money  to  carry  on  his  business  were  forced  to  call  in  their 
assets,  he  was  compelled  to  go  under.  The  "  Pilot"  office  and  book- 
store, that  cost,  with  fixtures,  nearly  $140,000,  sold  for  $105,000, 
and  the  journal  (worth  $100,000),  the  machinery  of  which  cost  over 
$38,000,  sold  for  $28,000.  And  so  it  was  with  his  residence,  and 
other  property  which  he  had  mortgaged  after  the  fires  to  enable 
him  to  carry  on  his  business,  —  they  shrunk  in  value  so  that  they  did 
not  realize  what  they  were  j  Mortgaged  for. 

Mr.  Donahoe  wr.  twice  married,  first  on  Nov.  23,  1836,  and 
four  children  were  the  result  of  this  union,  one  of  whom  survives. 
His  second  marriage  occurred  April  17,  1853;  he  has  since  be- 
come the  father  of  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  of  whom  are 
living. 

He  has  filled  many  positions  of  trust.  He  was  one  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  for  Public  Institutions  for  nine  years,  President 
of  the  Emigrant  Savings  Bank,  President  of  the  Home  for  Desti- 
tute Catholic  Children,  etc.  The  latter  institution  is  partly  indebted 
to  him  for  the  splendid  building  now  situated  on  Harrison  avenue, 
East  Concord,  and  Stoughton  streets. 

He  is  at  present  engaged  in  the  passenger  and  foreign  exchange 
business,  in  which  he  has  been  interested  for  upwards  of  forty  years. 
This  was  the  only  branch  of  his  business  that  he  was  able  to  save 
from  the  wreck  of  his  vast  enterprises. 

He  also  publishes  "  Donahoe's  Magazine,"  which  has  attained  a 
very  large  circulation,  and  is  increasing  in  favor  with  the  Irish  people 
at  home  and  abroad. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


231 


THOMAS  D'ARCY  McGEE. 

A  poet,  orator,  and  statesman  of  brilliant  mind  was  Thomas 
D'Arcy  McGee.  He  was  born  at  Carlingford,  County  Louth,  Ire- 
land, April  13,  1825.  When  very  young  he  was  left  an  orphan,  and 
was  cared  for  by  his  relatives  in  Ireland.  After  he  had  received  a 
limited  course  of  study  in  the  ordinary  day-schools  of  Wexford,  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  with 
his  sister,  in  his  seventeenth  year. 
When  he  arrived  here,  in  June, 
1842,  the  agitation  of  the  Repeal 
Movement  was  exciting  the  pa- 
triotism of  his  countrymen  in 
America,  and  although  but  a 
mere  boy  in  years  he  exerted 
much  influence  in  behalf  of  the 
cause. 

The  Fourth  of  July  came, 
and  it  brought  to  his  poetic  mind 
the  grandeur  of  free  America. 
On  that  day  he  was  present  at  an 
assemblage  of  his  countrymen. 
He  was  called  to  the  front,  and 

his  speech  fairly  carried  the  house  by  storm.  His  brilliant  words 
and  impassioned  eloquence  earned  for  him  the  title  of  "  the  boy 
orator." 

A  few  days  later  he  was  offered  a  position  on  the  Boston  "Pilot," 
and  in  less  than  two  years  he  became  its  editor-in-chief,  being  then  but 
nineteen  years  of  age.  The  Native-Americanism  movement  then  ran 
rampant,  and  our  young  editor's  powerful  pen  and  eloquent  tongue 
attacked  the  un-American  and  unmanly  insult,  and  every  part  of  New 
England  echoed  with  his  scathing  denunciations.  In  the  Repeal 
agitation,  McGee  was  actively  interested,  his  editorials  on  the  Irish 
question  were   masterly  specimens   of   a    gifted    mind.       In  the  old 


THOMAS    D'ARCY    McGEE. 


io'l  THE    IRISH  IN   BOSTON. 

country  his  people  were  attracted    and    encouraged    by  them,   and 
Daniel  O'Connell  paid  him   a   public   tribute   of   praise. 

He  left  Boston  during  the  agitation  to  fill  the  editor's  chair 
of  the  Dublin  "Freeman,"  one  of  the  ablest  papers  in  Ireland,  be- 
ing then  only  twenty-two  years  of  age.  The  policy  of  the  paper 
was  tame,  much  unsuited  to  the  mind  of  McGee,  who  transferred 
his  duties  to  the  "  Irish  Nation,"  the  organ  of  the  Young  Ireland 
party,  where  he  met  a  staff  of  brilliant  editors,  and  every  man  a  star, 
—  Davis,  Duffy,  Devin,  Mitchell,  and  Reilly.  What  a  galaxy!  Per- 
haps no  other  paper  ever  had  such  a  talented  corps  of  brilliant 
men  attached  to  it  as  the  "Nation"  of  McGee's  day. 

The  cause  of  the  Irish  patriots  ended  disastrously,  and  the  old 
story  of  treachery,  imprisonment,  and  death  was  repeated,  and  many 
brave  Irish  fellows  fell  victims  to  England's  hatred. 

McGee  escaped  from  Ireland  and  arrived  in  New  York  Oct.  10, 
1848,  and  on  the  26th  of  the  same  month  the  first  number  of  the 
New  York  "  Nation "  appeared.  McGee  was  then  a  disappointed 
man,  and  charged  the  failure  of  the  rising  to  the  Irish  prelates  and 
priests.  A  long  and  disagreeable  controversy  ensued  between 
McGee  and  Archbishop  Hughes,  of  New  York,  who  took  up  the 
defence,  and  maintained  that  the  action  of  the  Irish  clergy  was  right, 
just,  and  patriotic  in  saving  from  indiscriminate  slaughter  those  who 
had  no  means  of  either  offence  or  defence.  McGee's  standing  was 
very  much  injured  and  his  influence  weakened  with  the  best  portion 
of  his  countrymen  in  America,  and  his  paper  suffered  thereby.  He 
started  the  "  American  Celt"  in  Boston  in  1850,  but  afterwards  trans- 
ferred it  to  Buffalo,  and  later  to  New  York  City. 

The  tone  of  the  new  journal  was  more  conservative,  the  mis- 
haps, disappointments,  and  difficulties  which  McGee  had  met  soft- 
ened his  aspirations  and  brought  deeper  and  more  mature  thought 
to  his  solution  of  political  questions  and  policies.  The  "  American 
Celt"  became  popular,  and  had  a  beneficent  influence  on  the  Irish 
in  America  and  Ireland.  He  became  engaged  in  the  colonization 
scheme,  which  has  since  been  successfully  carried  on  by  Bishops 
Ireland,   Spaulding,  and   others.     It  is  claimed  that  McGee  was  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES.  23 


o 


original  projector  of  this  enterprise.  Archbishop  Hughes,  it  is  said, 
denounced  the  plan  of  colonization  as  mapped  out  by  McGee,  for 
reasons  which  his  wisdom  foresaw.  This  opposition,  together  with 
financial  embarrassment,  led  McGee  to  accept  an  invitation  from  the 
Irish  in  Montreal  to  come  and  reside  among  them.  They  gave  him 
sufficient  real  estate  to  make  him  eligible  to  Parliament,  and  he  was 
successfully  elected,  after  a  hot  contest. 

He  started  a  paper,  the  "  New  Era ;  "  also  studied  law,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Lower  Canadian  Bar.  His  masterly  abilities  and 
breadth  of  statesmanship  won  him  place  and  fame  in  Parliament 
above  all  his  contemporaries.  In  1865  he  was  presented  by  his  con- 
stituents in  Montreal  with  a  beautiful  residence  in  that  city,  as  a  sub- 
stantial mark  of  their  high  esteem.  He  was  President  of  the 
Executive  Council,  and  also  acting  Provincial  Secretary  In  1862. 
He  was  sent  to  Paris  in  1867  as  one  of  the  Canadian  Commissioners 
to  the  great  Exposition,  and  afterwards  travelled  over  portions  of  the 
Continent.  At  that  time  he  was  Minister  of  Agriculture  and  Emi- 
gration ;  before  he  returned  home  he  was  a  leader  in  the  delibera- 
tions which  the  representatives  of  the  Canadian  government  had  with 
the  home  government  in  regard  to  the  plan  of  confederation,  which 
McGee  had  developed  and  urged  throughout  the  provinces.  The 
project  was  approved  and  perfected,  —  the  Dominion  of  Canada 
was  established.  McGee  was  offered  a  seat  in  the  Cabinet,  but  he 
declined,  in  order  that  a  fellow-Celt  from  Nova  Scotia  might  have 
the  honor. 

McGee  antagonized  the  Fenians  of  his  day  by  denouncing  them, 
especially  those  who  had  advocated  the  invasion  of  Canada.  It  is 
alleged  that  he  was  regarded  by  them  as  a  traitor  to  his  country  and 
its  cause.  They  induced  Barney  Devlin,  an  able  Montreal  advocate, 
to  contest  McGee's  seat  in  Parliament ;  a  bitter  contest  followed; 
McGee  was  returned,  but  not  by  a  majority  of  his  countrymen,  and 
he  took  his  seat  in  the  first  Parliament  of  the  Dominion  Government. 
The  anxieties,  irritations,  labors,  and  sorrows  of  those  years  at  length 
impaired  his  health  and  confined  him  for  some  three  months  to  his 
room. 


234  rHE    IRISH   I-V  BOSTON. 

Shortly  after  his  recovery,  his  brilliant  life  was  brought  to  an 
untimely  end.  He  was  assassinated  on  April  7,  1867,  on  his  way 
home  from  the  Parliament  House,  Ottawa,  after  having  delivered  one 
of  his  wonderful  speeches. 

The  career  of  this  remarkable  man  is  unique  and  striking. 
As  an  unknown  boy  he  came  to  America,  not  having  had  the  advan- 
tage of  a  collegiate  education,  and  only  the  training  and  experience 
which  could  be  had  in  those  days  in  an  unimportant  town  in  Ireland. 
Yet,  although  but  just  seventeen,  he  leaps  into  an  important  position 
in  the  cultivated  city  of  Boston,  and  develops  a  power  as  a  strong, 
able,  vigorous,  and  classical  writer,  that  placed  him  with  the  best  in 
the  land.  As  a  statesman,  orator,  poet,  and  writer,  he  has  had  few 
equals.  His  vast  fund  of  knowledge  on  every  conceivable  subject 
was  supplemented  by  an  inexhaustible  command  of  language,  chaste, 
beautiful,  felicitous,  and  pointed,  illumined  by  a  brilliant  imagination 
and  filled  with  poetic  fancies.  He  was  unrivalled  as  a  conversation- 
alist, overflowing  with  wit,  humor,  anecdotes ;  consonant  with  this 
was  his  wonderful  popularity  as  an  after-dinner  speaker,  in  which  he 
was  unapproachable.  But  while  these  qualities  gave  softness  to  his 
character,  they  did  not  take  away  from  the  intenseness  of  his  oratory 
or  the  breadth,  massiveness,  and  solidity  of  his  political  views. 

REV.    HENRY   GILES. 

Henry  Giles,  an  able  and  distinguished  divine,  was  born  at 
Crockford,  in  the  County  Wexford,  Ireland,  Nov.  1,  1809;  died  near 
Boston,  July,  1882.  He  was  educated  at  home,  amidst  various 
religious  beliefs.  This  unsettled  his  religious  views  for  awhile ;  but 
he  finally  joined  the  Unitarians,  and  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  a 
church  at  Greenock,  Scotland,  afterwards  to  Liverpool.  He  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1841,  and  his  solid  talents  were  quickly 
recognized,  and  he  became  a  popular  preacher  and  lecturer.  His 
works  include  "  Irish  Lectures  and  Essays  "  (2  vols.,  Boston,  1845), 
"  Christian  Thoughts  in  Life,"  "  Illustrations  on  Genius  in  Some  of 
its  Applications  to  Society  and  Culture."     Giles  was  a  clear,  versatile, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  235 

and  powerful  writer.  He  wrote  a  great  deal  for  contemporary  litera- 
ture in  the  best  periodicals  of  the  country.  He  passed  many  days 
here  in  Boston,  and  those  of  us  who  can  remember  him  on  the 
lecture  platform,  as  he  first  stepped  forward  to  speak,  will  agree  that 
the  delightful  and  genuine  surprise  he  gave  grew  to  singularly  strong 
admiration,  when,  from  a  commonplace-appearing  citizen  he  grandly 
rose  to  oratorical  heights. 

THOMAS  J.   GARGAN. 

Among  the  able  men  of  Boston  who  have  become  distinguished 
for  their  superior  achievements  in  public  life  and  by  their  eminent 
abilities  at  the  bar,  few  indeed  of  the  Irish  race  have  attained 
so  deservedly  conspicuous  a  place  as  Thomas  J.  Gargan.  His  wise 
counsel  and  good  judgment  in  political  affairs  have  been  sought  and5 
followed  by  leading  Democrats,  and  they  have  affixed  the  seal  of  com- 
mendation to  his  many  valuable  acts.  Mr.  Gargan  was  born  of  Irisrr 
parents,  at  the  West  End,  in  Boston,  1844.  His  parents  emigrated* 
from  Ireland  and  settled  in  Boston  in  1825.  Thomas  was  one  of 
nine  children,  and  he  attended  the  public  schools  until  he  graduated1 
as  a  medal  scholar  from  the  Phillips  Grammar  School.  He  continued? 
his  studies  under  the  private  instructions  of  the  Rev.  Peter  Kruse,. 
S.J.,  and  subsequently  attended  the  Boston  University  Law  School1, 
where  he  graduated,  receiving  the  degree  of  LL.B.,  after  which  hej 
studied  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Henry  W.  Paine,  and  in  due  time- 
was  admitted  to  practice. 

Early  in  life  he  displayed  the  oratorical  gifts  which  have  won  the 
admiration  of  distinguished  men  both  at  home  and  abroad.  He  was 
not  seventeen  years  old  when  he  delivered  an  "  Essay  on  the  Irish  in  the 
War  for  the  Union,"  under  the  auspices  of  the  Cheverus  Literary  Insti- 
tute, an  organization  of  which  he  was  a  leading  member,  and  which 
brought  out  many  interesting  exhibitions  at  that  time  in  Boston, 
notably  one  given  at  the  Boston  Theatre  for  the  poor  of  Ireland.  He 
engaged  in  the  United  States  service  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  war, 
being  then  only  eighteen  years  of  age.     He  enlisted  in  Company  C, 


236  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

Fifty-fifth  Mass.  Volunteers — an  Irish  regiment;  he  was  elected  and 
commissioned  as  lieutenant  of  Company  C,  which  was  afterwards 
consolidated  with  the  Forty-eighth  Massachusetts.  He  received  an 
honorable  discharge  from  the  War  Department. 

After  his  return  from  the  war,  Mr.  Gargan  entered  into  the  duties 
of  his  profession,  and  his  practice  steadily  grew  to  proportions 
and  success  far  beyond  his  own  anticipations.  He  first  appeared  as 
a  public  speaker  during  the  war,  before  he  had  reached  his  majority. 
A  war  meeting  was  held,  at  which  Hon.  Otis  Norcross  presided;  and 
during  the  proceedings  an  attack  was  made  by  an  ex-Know-Nothing 
upon  the  loyalty  and  patriotism  of  adopted  citizens,  to  which  Mr. 
Gargan  replied  with  so  much  ability  and  eloquence,  citing  examples 
and  statistics  to  prove  their  devotion  to  their  adopted  country,  that 
at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Norcross,  and  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  the 
meeting,  Mr.  Gargan's  name  was  added  to  the  Union  committee. 
The  first  year  that  he  voted,  he  was  nominated  and  elected  by  both 
parties  as  warden  of  the  ward  wherein  he  resided  (old  Ward  3),  and 
shortly  afterwards  he  was  chosen  to  the  Legislature,  serving  in  the 
years  1868,  1870,  and  1876.  During  these  terms  he  served  on  the 
Committees  of  Public  Charities,  Probate  and  Chancery,  Rules  and 
Orders,  and  Manufactures,  besides  several  important  special  com- 
mittees. In  1872  he  was  a  delegate-at-large  from  this  State  to  the 
National  Convention  at  Baltimore,  Md. 

For  two  years  (1873-74)  he  was  the  President  of  the  Charitable 
Irish  Society,  and  is  still  a  member  of  that,  as  well  as  many  other 
important  charitable  associations.  He  was  mainly  instrumental  in 
obtaining  the  charter  for  the  Emigrant  Savings  Bank,  after  a  hard 
fight  and  severe  opposition ;  he  was  its  treasurer  for  two  years 
and  a  half.  In  1875  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Overseers  of  the  Poor  of  Boston.  His  legal  practice  has  extended 
to  cases  of  some  of  the  most  prominent  and  wealthy  men,  and  also 
to  large  and  powerful  corporations,  in  the  management  of  which  he 
has  been  very  successful. 

Mr.  Gargan,  when  a  young  man,  had  few  superiors  of  his  age  as 
a  debater,  then  being  very  ready  in  reply,  and  fortifying  any  position 


n^«r 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES.  237 

which  he  took  by  a  strong  array  of  facts.  In  February,  1876,  he  de- 
livered the  annual  oration  before  the  Mechanic  Apprentices'  Library 
Association, — an  address  which  has  been  pronounced  by  competent 
critics  as  one  of  the  best  ever  delivered  before  the  society;  and 
another  very  powerful  speech  of  his  was  that  made  in  opposition  to 
the  bill  brought  up  in  the  House,  a  year  earlier,  taxing  church 
property. 

He  rapidly  developed  his  oratorical  power,  and  carefully  culti- 
vated the  best  points  in  public  speaking  which  were  used  by  the 
masters  of  the  rostrum ;  and  he  is  recognized  to-day  by  the  press  and 
people  as  an  orator,  eloquent,  masterly,  and  learned.  His  manner 
before  a  jury  or  public  assemblage  is  pleasing  and  graceful;  with 
finely  modulated  voice,  that  commands  immediate  attention,  he 
interests  his  hearers  at  once,  and  wins  their  sympathy  from  the  be- 
ginning to  the  close  of  his  discourses,  which,  by  the  way,  always 
afford  abundant  evidence  of  extensive  reading,  much  thought  and 
culture,  besides  being  strong  in  facts,  sound  and  logical  in  argu- 
ment. 

In  the  spring  of  1881  Mr.  Gargan  met  General  Grant,  and 
spent  many  pleasant  hours  with  him  in  Mexico.  His  impressions 
of  General  Grant,  which  appeared  in  the  Boston  "  Daily  Globe  "  of 
August  3,  1885,  were  uniquely  descriptive  of  the  dead  hero,  and 
caused  considerable  and  favorable  comment  throughout  the  country. 
At  the  banquet  given  in  honor  of  General  Grant  by  the  Mexican 
Government,  in  the  Tivoli  of  San  Cosme,  in  May,  1881,  the  Mexican 
dignitaries  attended  in  a  body ;  Mr.  Gargan  was  present,  with  Col. 
Thomas  B.  Lewis  and  Mr.  Albert  K.  Owen.  Mr.  Gargan  had  the 
honor  of  acting  as  president  of  the  feast ;  he  presided  most  hand- 
somely, and  made  a  characteristic  speech,  full  of  wit  and  wisdom. 
Among  his  many  speeches,  the  most  notable  are  the  following :  The 
one  made  at  Marblehead  in  1882,  at  the  ratification  meeting  of  Butler 
and  Bowerman;  the  Bay  State  dinner  speech,  in  1884,  on  which 
occasion  Washington's  birthday  was  commemorated  by  the  Demo- 
cratic State  Central  Committee ;  the  argument  made  by  him  on  be- 
half of  Archbishop  Williams,  in  the  Lawrence  Church  case,  upon  the 


238  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

decision  of  which  rested  the  title  of  all  the  Catholic  Church  property 
in  New  England.  The  case  went  to  the  Supreme  Court,  and  was 
won  by  Mr.  Gargan.  The  Memorial-day  oration,  delivered  at  Win- 
chendon,  May  30,  1883.  He  made  a  spirited,  eloquent,  and  telling 
arraignment  of  Blaine  in  a  speech  delivered  at  Faneuil  Hall  during 
the  campaign  of  1884. 

He  delivered  the  Fourth  of  July  oration  in  1885,  which,  for  the 
beauty  and  newness  of  its  summary,  brilliancy  of  style,  and  copious- 
ness of  historical  minutiae,  ranks  among  the  best  ever  given  to  Bos- 
tonians.  Mr.  Gargan's  witty  extempore  speech  at  Tremont  Temple, 
Oct.  21,  1885,  ratifying  the  candidacy  of  Hon.  Frederick  O.  Prince, 
attracted  much  attention;  his  oration  at  Halifax,  in  January,  1886,  at 
the  banquet  given  by  the  Charitable  Irish  Society  of  that  place,  to 
celebrate  the  centenary  of  the  organization,  and  at  which  he  responded 
for  the  Charitable  Irish  Society  of  Boston,  was  eventful,  and  won  en- 
comiums for  him  from  both  the  foreign  and  American  press.  His 
versatility  in  the  field  of  journalism  has  been  shown  by  numerous 
articles  written  for  the  Boston  press  on  Irish  subjects,  and  special 
correspondence  relating  to  the  Franco-Prussian  War,  which  he  penned 
while  sojourning  in  Ireland  and  France. 

THE  MOST  REV.   JOHN  J.   WILLIAMS. 

The  Most  Rev.  John  J.  Williams,  the  fourth  Bishop  and  first 
Archbishop  of  Boston,  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  April  27,  1822. 
A-fter  the  usual  classical  education  in  Montreal  and  at  St.  Sulpice  in 
Paris,  he  was  elevated  to  the  priesthood  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Fen- 
wick,  in  1843.  Among  his  other  missions  was  that  of  the  chapel  on 
Beach  street,  Boston  (January,  1852),  which  had  been  built  in  1850  to 
meet  the  increasing  Catholic  population  in  the  vicinity  of  the  South 
Cove.  Under  his  ministration  the  congregation  grew  so  rapidly  that 
in  one  year  it  was  found  necessary  to  erect  a  large  Gothic  church,  which 
was  dedicated,  in  1855,  by  Bishop  Fitzpatrick.  The  Very  Rev.  J.  J. 
Williams  was  Vicar-General  and  pastor  of  this  church  at  the  time  he 
was  made  Coadjutor  Bishop   of  Boston,  having  also  been   rector  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  239 

the  old  Cathedral  in  Franklin  street,  which  was  pulled  down  in  the 
fall  of  i860,  the  last  Mass  being  celebrated  on  Sunday,  September 
16,  of  that  year,  on  which  occasion  the  present  Archbishop  acted  as 
assistant  priest.  In  1866  the  Very  Rev.  John  J.  Williams,  on  account 
of  the  failing  health  of  Bishop  Fitzpatrick,  was  appointed  Coadjutor 
Bishop  of  Boston,  with  the  right  of  succession.  Bishop  Fitzpatrick 
died  on  Feb.  13,  1866,  and  on  March  1 1  of  the  same  year  Bishop 
Williams  was  consecrated  at  St.  James'  Church,  of  which  he  had  been 
so  long  the  pastor.  From  Oct.  19,  1869,  to  June  27,  1870,  Bishop 
Williams  was  in  Europe  attending  the  Vatican  Council.  On  May  2, 
1875,  he  received  the  pallium  at  the  hands  of  the  late  Cardinal 
McCloskey.  The  Solemn  High  Mass  was  celebrated  by  Bishop 
McNierny,  of  Albany;  Bishop  De  Goesbriand,  of  Burlington,  Vt, 
preaching  the  sermon.  It  was  the  grandest  religious  ceremony  ever 
seen  in  New  England.  On  the  same  day  the  first  American  Cardinal 
celebrated  his  first  Mass  in  Boston.  The  Cathedral  of  the  Holy 
Cross  was  solemnly  dedicated  by  Archbishop  Williams,  Dec.  8,  1875, 
the  feast  of  the  Immaculate  Conception. 

At  the  time  of  his  consecration  the  diocese  of  Boston  included 
all  the  State  of  Massachusetts.  Since  then  the  diocese  of  Spring- 
field (including  the  counties  of  Berkshire,  Franklin,  Hampshire, 
Hampden,  and  Worcester)  and  part  of  the  diocese  of  Providence 
(including  Bristol,  Barnstable,  and  part  of  Plymouth  counties)  were 
created.  To-day  the  archdiocese  of  Boston  has  over  one  hundred 
and  sixty  churches,  three  hundred  and  twenty  priests,  and  twenty-five 
thousand  children  in  the  parochial  schools.  The  churches  through- 
out the  archdiocese  are,  for  the  most  part,  objects  of  pride  to  the 
Catholic  heart,  because  of  their  beauty  and  elegance.  After  years  of 
patient  struggle,  their  financial  condition  is  such  as  to  warrant  the 
belief  that  before  many  years  have  passed  they  will  be  entirely 
relieved  of  debt.  Schools  are  multiplying  every  year ;  the  sick,  the 
orphan,  and  the  outcast  are  provided  for ;  while  last,  but  not  least, 
the  new  Seminary  at  Brighton  is  doing  excellent  work  in  preparing 
candidates  for  the  work  of  the  priesthood.  This  work  has  been  for 
years  the  subject  of  the  Archbishop's  thoughts.     Not  a  detail  of  its 


240  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

construction  escaped  his  notice ;  and  it  stands  to-day  a  monument  to 
the  zeal  and  piety  of  the  clergy  of  Boston,  their  tribute  of  love  and 
affection  to  their  well-beloved  Archbishop.  In  the  building  of  the 
Cathedral  he  received  valuable  aid  from  the  late  Vicar-General  P.  F. 
Lyndon ;  but  the  Seminary  is  his  own  work,  to  which  he  has  given 
his  heart  and  brain. 

RIGHT  REV.   MATTHEW  HARKINS. 

The  Right  Rev.  Matthew  Harkins,  the  second  bishop  of  the 
diocese  of  Providence,  is  of  Irish  parentage.  He  was  born  in  Boston, 
Nov.  17,  1845,  and  his  parents  resided  in  the  parish  of  which  he  has 
recently  been  pastor.  He  attended  the  Brimmer  and  Quincy  Schools, 
and  then  the  Latin  School,  from  which  he  graduated,  with  a  Franklin 
medal,  in  1862.  The  next  scholastic  year  was  spent  in  completing 
his  classical  education  at  Holy  Cross  College,  Worcester,  Mass.  De- 
ciding that  he  had  a  vocation  for  the  priesthood,  Bishop  Fitzpatrick, 
then  the  ordinary  of  the  Boston  diocese,  sent  him  to  France  to  pursue 
his  philosophico-theological  studies  in  the  English  College  of  Douay 
and  at  the  Seminary  of  St.  Sulpice  in  Paris.  Here  he  studied  with 
the  most  eminent  teachers  and  divines  of  the  Catholic  Church.  In 
1869,  after  six  years'  study,  he  was  ordained,  and  left  Paris  for  Rome, 
for  additional  study.  On  his  return  to  America,  his  first  appointment 
was  as  curate  of  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  Salem, 
Mass.  After  six  years'  labor  at  Salem,  he  was  appointed,  in  1876, 
to  his  first  pastorate,  St.  Malachi's  Church,  Arlington,  his  parish  also 
including  Lexington  and  Belmont.  Here  he  remained  until  April, 
1884,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  large  and  important  parish  of 
St.  James',  Boston.  From  this  church,  also,  Archbishop  Williams 
and  Bishop  Healy  were  raised  to  Sees.  Bishop  Harkins  is  the  sixth 
bishop  which  the  diocese  of  Boston  has  given  to  the  Church  in  New 
England. 

He  is  a  sound  theological  scholar,  and  was  selected  by  Arch- 
bishop Williams  as  his  theologian  at  the  recent  Plenary  Council 
of  Baltimore,  where   he  was  appointed  one  of  the   notaries.     His 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  241 

powers  are  most  strongly  felt  as  an  organizer  and  administrator,  — 
qualities  which  he  possesses  to  an  unusual  degree,  and  which  won  for 
him  his  appointment  as  Bishop.  He  is  of  medium  height,  and  strong 
and  compact  in  build.  His  forehead  is  high,  and  his  eyes  beam  with 
intelligence.  He  speaks  with  ease  and  fluency,  and  commands  the 
earnest  attention  of  an  audience. 

He  severed  many  ties  in  leaving  Boston,  but  accepted  the  charge 
of  an  important  field,  to  which  he  was  warmly  welcomed. 

REV.   ROBERT  FULTON,    S.J. 

Honored  and  respected  by  the  citizens  of  Boston  of  all  creeds 
for  his  many  virtues,  his  modesty,  and  profound  learning,  Father 
Fulton,  the  distinguished  Catholic  priest  of  the  Society  of  Jesus, 
stands  without  a  peer  in  this  city  among  the  ministers  of  religion,  as 
a  successful  scholar  and  financier.  Born  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  June 
28,  1826,  his  Irish  ancestry  can  be  traced  to  his  grandfather,  James 
O'Brien,  who  was  sent  to  Spain  while  engaged  in  the  diplomatic  ser- 
vice of  the  United  States.  The  vessel  on  which  he  sailed  was  wrecked 
off  Cape  Hatteras,  and  O'Brien  perished.  His  widow  received  a  pen- 
sion from  the  Spanish  Government.  Young  Fulton  was  an  orphan 
at  seven  years  of  age.  During  his  boyhood  he  was  a  page  in  the 
United  States  Senate.  He  met  the  intellectual  giants  of  those  days, 
and  he  now  relates  the  characteristics  of  Webster,  Clay,  Calhoun,  and 
Thomas  Benton,  as  he  saw  them,  nearly  half  a  century  ago. 

The  boy  Fulton  entered  Georgetown  College  at  sixteen  years  of 
age,  ostensibly  to  receive  a  preparatory  course  of  studies  to  fit  him 
for  West  Point.  His  life  at  Georgetown  College  shaped  his  early 
course,  and  in  his  seventeenth  year  he  communicated  his  desire  to 
enter  the  Society  of  Jesus  to  his  mother.  The  latter  then  resolved 
to  consecrate  her  life  also  to  the  service  of  God.  She  accordingly 
entered  the  order  of  the  Visitation  Nuns,  at  whose  convent  in  George- 
town she  was  known  in  religion  as  Sister  Olympias. 

She  died  at  the  convent  on  the  morning  of  Feb.  22,  1888,  at  the 
ripe  old  age  of  eighty-nine  years  and  ten  months. 


242  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

On  the  completion  of  his  novitiate,  Mr.  Fulton,  then  a  scholastic, 
taught  the  class  of  rhetoric  at  St.  John's,  Frederick,  Md.,  and  Loyola 
College,  Baltimore,  Md.  Thence  he  went  to  Georgetown  College,  and 
taught  with  great  success  the  classes  of  poetry  and  rhetoric  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  had  for  his  pupils  many  distinguished  scholars 
of  the  present  day.  In  the  year  1856  he  was  ordained  to  the  priest- 
hood at  Georgetown,  and  in  1861  came  to  Boston,  and  remained 
here,  excepting  one  year  spent  in  Frederick,  until  January,  1880. 

He  was  prominent  in  the  foundation  of  Boston  College,  and  in 
1864  fulfilled  the  duties  of  prefect  of  schools  and  studies.  From  a 
very  discouraging  beginning  he  raised  Boston  College  to  the  high 
position  which  that  institution  now  holds.  Twelve  years  elapsed 
before  he  introduced  the  first  class  of  philosophy,  and  by  thus  going 
slowly  he  was  enabled  to  strengthen  all  the  departments,  and  place 
the  college  on  a  firm  basis. 

In  1870  Father  Fulton  was  appointed  rector  of  Boston  College, 
and  during  the  time  of  his  residence  in  Boston  he  became  a  friend 
of  some  of  the  most  distinguished  literary  men  of  the  city,  and 
exerted  a  wide  influence  in  the  advancement  of  Catholic  education. 

He  founded  the  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association  of  Boston 
College  in  1875,  which  was  one  °f  the  greatest  works  that  he  has 
ever  engaged  in.  In  1880  Father  Fulton  was  appointed  pastor  of  St. 
Lawrence's  Church,  New  York,  and  held  that  position  for  one  year. 

Owing  to  his  financial  success  in  the  administration  of  affairs  at 
Boston  College  and  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  he 
was  called  upon  by  the  then  provincial  of  the  Society,  Rev.  R.  W. 
Brady,  S.J.,  to  undertake  the  almost  herculean  task  of  freeing  St. 
Aloysius'  Church,  of  Washington,  from  a  debt  of  $200,000.  Though 
naturally  averse  to  such  tasks,  he  obeyed  the  voice  of  his  superior, 
and  under  great  difficulties  he  was  enabled  in  less  than  one  year  to 
place  the  Washington  church  out  of  all  danger  of  financial  ruin, 
paying  off  in  that  time  about  $100,000.  In  May,  1882,  he  was  ap- 
pointed provincial  of  New  York,  Maryland  province,  and  held  that 
office  for  six  years.  His  administration  was  marked  by  great  success, 
both  in  a  financial  and  literary  point  of  view. 


\ 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  243 

In  September,  1883,  Father  Fulton  went  to  Rome  as  a  delegate 
from  this  province  to  the  general  Congregation,  whose  suffrage 
elected  the  present  general,  Very  Rev.  A.  M.  Anderledy,  S.J.  In 
December,  :TS86,  he  was  called  to  Ireland,  receiving  the  appointment 
to  the  supreme  office  of  Visitor,  and  having  power  to  regulate  all 
matters  affecting  that  portion  of  the  Society,  including  Australia  and 
New  Zealand.  He  returned  to  America  in  April,  1887,  but  in  Sep- 
tember of  the  same  year  he  visited  Ireland  in  order  to  complete  the 
discharge  of  his  duties.  In  April,  1888,  he  returned  once  again  to 
America.  His  appointment  to  the  important  position  of  Provincial 
for  this  country  was  earned  by  his  world-wide  administrative  ability 
and  business  foresight.  In  June,  1888,  his  second  term  of  office 
having  expired,  he  was  succeeded  by  Very  Rev.  Thomas  Campbell, 
S.J.,  formerly  rector  of  St.  John's  College,  Fordham,  New  York. 
On  July  4,  1888,  he  was  announced  at  Boston  College  as  its  rector; 
he  immediately  assumed  the  duties  incumbent  upon  him,  and  con- 
tinues his  excellent  work  there.  He  is  now  actively  engaged  in 
remodelling  and  enlarging  the  present  buildings  connected  with  the 
College  and  the  rooms  of  the  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association  on 
James  street,  which,  when  completed,  will  more  than  double  their 
present  dimensions.  Plans  for  alterations  have  been  drawn,  and  the 
building  is  in  process  of  reconstruction. 

ROBERT   DWYER  JOYCE. 

Robert  Dwyer  Joyce,  author,  poet,  and  physician,  was  born  in 
the  County  of  Limerick,  Ireland,  and  died  in  Dublin,  Ireland, 
October  23,  1883.  He  was  a  descendant  of  the  elder  branch  of 
"the  ancient  family  of  Joyce  (De  Jorse),  of  Galway.  His  father 
was  born  in  County  Limerick,  and  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
John  O'Dwyer,  of  Glendarragh,  the  last  lineal  descendant  of  the 
celebrated  John  O'Dwyer,  of  the  Glen,  Baron  of  Kilmana,  whose  title 
was  forfeited  after  the  Williamite  wars,  and  who  subsequently  died  a 
general  in  the  French  service.  His  mother's  family  numbered  many 
renowned  Celtic  military  geniuses  of  Europe.     One,  Count  William 


244  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

O'Dwyer,  died  a  marshal  in  Russia;  another,  John  O'Dwyer,  was 
made  hereditary  Count  of  the  Austrian  Empire  for  saving  the  life  of 
the  Emperor  Joseph  in  action ;  and  the  present  count,  Jean  Haudois 
(O'Dwyer),  commanded  part  of  the  advance  of  the  French  cavalry 
at  the  battle  of  Solferino. 

Dr.  Joyce  received  his  rudimentary  education  at  the  ordinary 
country  English  and  classical  school  near  his  father's  home.  He 
was  sent  to  Dublin  to  complete  his  studies,  and  afterwards  studied 
medicine  at  the  Queen's  University,  where  he  received  his  degree, 
and  was  then  appointed  Professor  of  English  Literature  in  the  Pre- 
paratory College  of  the  Catholic  University,  Dublin.  He  practised 
his  profession  for  several  years  in  Dublin  with  success,  and  in  1866 
came  to  America  and  located  in  Boston. 

Early  in  life  he  displayed  rare  poetic  ability,  and  later  his  bril- 
liant historical  and  legendary  ballads  appeared  in  some  of  the  best 
Irish  magazines  and  newspapers.  He  was  a  leading  contributor  to 
"  The  Harp,"  a  Cork  magazine,  under  the  nom  de  plume  of  "  Fear- 
dana,"  and  also  to  the  "  Dublin  Hibernian  Magazine  "  and  the 
"  National  Monthly."  He  was  the  author  of  "  The  Blacksmith  of 
Limerick,"  "  Ballads,  Romances,  and  Songs,"  and  other  literary  pro- 
ductions. He  was  a  Celt  in  disposition  and  spirit,  and  in  his  writings, 
from  the  inception  of  Fenianism  to  its  close,  he  exerted  an  inspiring 
influence  in  favor  of  resistance  against  the  English  government. 

In  1862  he  wrote  a  number  of  miscellaneous  poems  and  stories 
for  the  "  Weekly  Illustrated  Journal,"  of  Dublin,  and  later  a  serial 
entitled  "  The  Squire  of  Castleton,"  for  the  Dublin  "  Irishman."  In 
1865  he  became  a  regular  contributor  to  the  Dublin  "  Irish  People," 
under  the  signature  of  "  Merelon,"  and  his  busy  pen  for  a  time 
directed  the  thoughts  that  animated  the  loyal  minds  for  the  cause  of 
national  freedom  and  Irish  liberty.  In  Boston  he  secured  quite  an 
extensive  practice  as  a  physician,  and  was  phenomenally  successful 
from  the  start.  In  1872  his  poems  were  published  in  book  form, 
complete  to  that  year,  known  as  "  Ballads  of  Irish  Chivalry,  Songs, 
and  Poems,"  and  the  Irish  and  American  press  eulogized  the  volume 
with  one  accord. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES.  245 

His  "  Deirdre"  and  "  Blanid,"  two  beautiful  epics,  won  him 
considerable  literary  fame  in  this  country.  People  wondered  how  a 
busy  physician  could  find  time  to  produce  these  two  exhaustive 
poems,  in  addition  to  his  many  other  duties.  Indeed,  it  was  remark- 
able then,  as  it  is  indicative  of  his  genius  now.  He  has  left  us  an 
Irish  epic,  based  on  the  traditions  and  glory  of  the  Irish  race,  and 
the  only  land  of  which  he  could  sing. 

"  Though  many  a  field  I've  searched  of  foreign  lore, 

And  found  great  themes  for  song,  yet  ne'er  would  I 
Seek  Greece,  or  Araby,  or  Persia's  shore 

For  heroes  and  the  deeds  of  days  gone  by ; 
To  my  own  native  land  my  heart  would  fly, 

Howe'er  my  fancy  wandered,  and  I  gave 
My  thoughts  to  her,  and  to  the  heroes  high 

She  nursed  in  ages  gone,  and  strove  to  save 
Some  memory  of  their  deeds  from  dark  oblivion's  wave." 

PATRICK  R.    GUINEY. 

General  Patrick  R.  Guiney,  lawyer,  soldier,  and  patriot,  was  born 
in  Parkstown,  Tipperary,  Ireland,  Jan.  15,  1835,  died  in  Boston,  March 
21,  1877.  He  was  brought  to  the  United  States  by  his  parents  in 
1842,  and  for  a  while  located  in  Portland,  Me.,  where  he  attended 
the  public  schools,  and  later  Holy  Cross  College,  Worcester,  Mass. 
He  came  to  Boston  in  1855,  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1856.  In  1859  he  was  married  in  this  city.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  late  Civil  War  he  enlisted  as  private,  in  April,  1861  ;  he  was 
promoted  to  a  Captaincy,  June  11,  1861,  and  went  as  such  to  the. 
field  ;  he  helped  largely  in  organizing  the  Ninth  Massachusetts  Volun- 
teers ;  he  was  commissioned  Major,  Oct.  24,  1862  ;  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
July  28,  1862  ;  complimented  in  special  orders  for  bravery  at  Gaines' 
Mills,  June  27,  1862;  promoted  to  Colonel  for  service  in  the  field, 
July  26,  1863  ;  commanded  the  Second  Brigade,  First  Division,  Fifth 
Corps,  most  of  the  following  year ;  he  lost  his  left  eye  by  a  terrible 
wound  in  the  forehead,  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864; 
mustered  out  with  the  regiment ;  promoted  Brevet  Brigadier-General, 


246  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

March  13,  1865.  He  was  Assistant  District  Attorney  for  Suffolk 
County  from  1866  to  1870,  and  held  the  position  of  Register  of 
Probate  and  Insolvency  from  1869  until  his  death,  in  1877,  which 
was  caused  by  disease  incurred  by  his  head-wound  in  the  war.  He 
was  Major-General  Commander  of  the  Veteran  Military  League,  and 
a  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion.  The  esteem  and  regard  which  his 
fellow-citizens  had  for  him  is  aptly  described  by  his  friend  and  asso- 
ciate, Dr.  John  G.  Blake,  in  the  following  lines,  and  by  the  poem  by 
his  excellent  wife  :  — 

"  In  the  long  list  of  names  that  deserve  commemoration  for  the 
honor  done  their  native  land,  none  justly  stands  higher  than  that  of 
Patrick  R.  Guiney.  A  brave,  fearless,  and  successful  soldier,  who 
carried  through  his  broken  life,  with  a  smiling  face,  the  shattered 
constitution  resulting  from  wounds  received  in  the  service  of  his 
adopted  country;  a  pure,  able,  and  honest  public  official,  and  an 
estimable  private  citizen,  he  combined  all  the  qualities  that  the  most 
exacting  friendship  could  ask  for.  Life  to  him  meant  earnest,  soul- 
felt  endeavor.  Chivalrous,  pure-minded,  the  personification  of  in- 
tegrity, it  used  to  be  said  of  him  that  he  stood  so  straight  that  he 
bent  backward. 

"  A  man  whose  deep  religious  feeling  permeated  his  life ;  free 
from  narrowness,  and  broadly  catholic,  he  was  a  true  and  loyal  son  of 
Mother  Church  in  the  highest  and  fullest  sense.  In  private  life  a 
devoted  husband,  a  loving  father,  a  fast  friend,  and  delightful  com- 
panion, his  memory  will  live  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  knew  him 
best  while  life  endures. 

"  So  much  of  heroism  blended  with  his  character,  and  is  so 
well  expressed  in  this  little  poem,  that  it  seems  appropriate  to 
append  it." 

This  touching  poetical  tribute  to  General  Guiney  is  fresh  from 
the  pen  of  our  Boston  poet,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Blake :  — 

"  Large  heart  and  brave!   tried  soul  and  true! 
How  thickly  in  thy  life's  short  span 
All  strong,  sweet  virtues  throve  and  grew 
As  friend,  as  hero,  and  as  man. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  247 

Unmoved  by  thought  of  blame  or  praise, 

Unbought  by  gifts  of  power  or  pride, 
Thy  feet  still  trod  Time's  devious  ways, 

With  Duty  as  thy  law  and  guide. 

*'  God  breaks  no  mould  so  nobly  rare 

As  shrined  of  old  heroic  men. 
In  lives  like  thine,  as  pure  as  fair, 

Earth's  golden  knighthood  breathes  again 
Amid  a  world  of  sordid  greed, 

Of  paltry  aims,  of  perjured  trust ; 
With  soul  as  stainless  as  thy  creed, 

We  know  thee  strong,  and  pure,  and  just. 

"  And  still  shall  know,  O  friend  beloved ! 

Thy  spirit  holds  no  place  with  death ; 
Our  eyes  are  dim,  our  hearts  are  moved, 

But  thou  hast  felt  His  kindly  breath. 
So  short,  so  swift  thy  pang  of  birth 

Ere  dawned  the  heaven  you  longed  to  see, 
We  bear  the  pain,  who  wait  on  earth, 

But  all  the  glory  fell  to  thee !  " 

Maj.  Daniel  G.  McNamara,  a  staff-officer  and  a  life-long  friend 
of  General  Guiney,  gives  the  following  reminiscences :  — 

"Nothing  redounds  more  to  a  soldier's  credit  for  gallant  and 
meritorious  conduct  on  the  battlefield  than  the  commendation  of  his 
superior  officer.  Gen.  Fitz-John  Porter,  commander  of  the  Fifth 
Corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  to  which  the  Ninth  Regiment  belonged, 
recommended,  in  special  orders,  Colonel  Guiney  for  brevet  commis- 
sion for  gallant  services  at  the  battle  of  Gaines's  Mills,  and  in  his 
graphic  account  of  that  battle,  published  in  the  '  Century '  magazine 
of  June,  1885,  thus  speaks  of  the  Ninth  Regiment  while  under  fire: 
rfAt  Gaines's  Mills  Cass's  gallant  Ninth  Massachusetts  Volunteers 
(General  Guiney  was  then  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  regiment), 
of  Griffin's  brigade,  obstinately  resisted  A.  P.  Hill's  crossing,  and 
were  so  successful  in  delaying  his  advance  after  crossing  as  to  com- 
pel him  to  employ  large*  bodies  to  force  the  regiment  back  to  the 
main  line.  This  brought  on  a  contest  which  extended  to  Morell's 
centre,  and  over  Martin's  front,  on  his  right,  and  lasted  from   12.30 


248  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

to  near  2  o'clock,  Cass  and  his  immediate  supports  falling  back 
south  of  the  swamps.  This  persistent  and  prolonged  resistance 
gave  to  this  battle  one  of  its  well-known  names,  i.e.,  Gaines's 
Mills.' 

"  After  passing  through  the  campaigns  of  nearly  two  years 
more,  memory  brings  us  vividly  to  the  battle  of  the  'Wilderness,' 
May  5,  1864,  under  General  Grant.  Again  the  Ninth  Regiment 
suffered  terribly  in  killed  and  wounded.  It  was  on  that  day  that 
General  Guiney  fell  at  the  head  of  his  regiment  with  that  terrible 
wound  through  his  eye.  The  cruel  bullet  crushed  through  the  eye 
down  into  his  head.  Nothing  but  his  splendid  physique  and  strong 
vitality  saved  his  life.  The  doctors  declared  he  could  not  survive ; 
that  the.  wound  was  of  so  terrible  a  nature  that  it  was  only  a  ques- 
tion of  time,  and  rather  than  attempt  an  operation  it  was  in  their  judg- 
ment better  to  let  him  die  without  unnecessary  pain.  Not  so  with 
the  general ;  although  wounded  nigh  unto  death,  he  still  retained 
within  his  bosom  all  his  native  courage  and  indomitable  pluck.  Call- 
ing to  his  side,  as  he  lay  on  the  floor  of  the  temporary  hospital  near 
the  battlefield,  Father  Egan,  chaplain  of  the  Ninth,  he  said :  '  Father, 
if  you  will  find  a  surgeon  on  this  field  who  will  undertake  to  remove 
this  bullet  I  will  get  better,  for  the  longer  it  remains  as  it  is  the 
worse  for  me.'  Father  Egan,  with  his  accustomed  kindness,  promptly 
secured  the  attendance  of  several  surgeons  from  the  hospital  quarters. 
One  among  them  agreed  to  undertake  the  operation,  and  in  a  com- 
paratively short  time,  in  the  presence  of  the  other  doctors,  extracted 
the  bullet,  which  proved  to  be  a  fifty-nine  calibre  rifle  ball.  Under 
all  his  sufferings  the  general  was  patient,  never  complaining  of  his 
rude  surroundings  and  poor  accommodations.  In  the  course  of  a 
few  days  he  reached  Washington,  where  his  loving  wife  awaited  him 
to  nurse  and  attend  him  on  his  painful  journey  home.  After  weeks 
of  suffering,  and  when  only  partially  recovered,  he  met  his  regiment 
at  the  depot  in  Boston  on  its  return  home  for  muster  out,  and  rode 
at  its  head  on  its  march  to  Faneuil  Hall.  Though  time  partly  healed 
the  jagged  wound,  it  eventually  shortened  his  brilliant  life,  and  ended 
the  bright  future  that  was  before  him. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  249 

"  It  can  be  said  of  General  Guiney  that  he  was  a  brave  soldier, 
a  firm  disciplinarian,  a  true  friend,  and  a  generous,  warm-hearted 
officer.  He  was  loved  and  respected  by  his  regiment,  and  his  recog- 
nized ability  and  uniform  manliness  endeared  him  to  his  comrades 
and  associates  through  life.  While  he  loved  his  friends  warmly  and 
truly,  he  never  harbored  animosity  against  those  who  might  exhibit 
unfriendliness  towards  him.  His  Christian  training  taught  him  to 
treat  his  fellows  with  Christian  kindness,  firmness,  and  forbearance. 
These  traits  of  character  carried  him  successfully  through  the  diffi- 
culties that  were  to  be  encountered  by  a  commander  of  volunteers  in 
the  army,  and  they  won  for  him  in  after-life  the  esteem  of  all  who 
knew  him." 

He  rendered  able  services  to  the  cause  of  dumb  animals  while 
he  was  a  district  attorney,  and  won  a  case  in  which  the  Massachu- 
setts Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals  were  the 
prosecutors.  His  lofty  and  eloquent  appeal  for  the  dumb  was 
publicly  admired  and  praised. 


JOHN  E.   FITZGERALD. 

Familiar  to  all  Bostonians  is  John  E.  Fitzgerald,  an  able  lawyer, 
and  the  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  for  Massachusetts.  He  was 
born  in  Dingle,  County  Kerry,  Ireland,  Nov.  17,  1844,  where  he 
attended  the  schools  of  the  Christian  Brothers,  and  he  also  went  to 
school  in  Dublin.  When  about  nineteen  years  of  age  he  took  pas- 
sage on  the  steamship  "  Bohemian,"  bound  for  America ;  but  the 
vessel  was  wrecked  off  Cape  Elizabeth,  near  Portland,  Me.,  and  over 
one  hundred  lives  were  lost.  Young  Fitzgerald  took  refuge  in  a 
boat,  and,  after  considerable  hardship  and  suffering,  was  one  of  the 
three  surviving  passengers  who  landed  on  the  shores  of  Cape  Eliza- 
beth, Me.,  on  the  night  of  Feb.  21,  1864. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  this  country  he  became  engaged  as  a 
school  teacher  in  Salem,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  about  one  year 
and  six  months.  While  occupied  as  a  pedagogue  he  employed  his 
leisure  hours    in  the  study  of    law    in  the  office    of  William    D. 


250  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

Northend.  In  January,  1866,  he  removed  to  Boston,  and  continued 
his  law  studies  in  the  office  of  George  W.  Earle,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1868. 

During  1865  and  1866,  when  the  interest  in  Fenianism  was  at 
its  height,  he  did  active  work  for  the  cause.  The  vigor  of  youth, 
and  his  characteristic  Irish  enthusiasm,  enabled  him  to  do  excellent 
service,  and  he  made  many  effective  and  patriotic  speeches.  Since 
that  period  he  has  continued  to  be  identified  with  Irish  affairs,  is 
always  ready  to  assist  in  the  welfare  of  the  Irish  people,  and  is  one 
of  the  recognized  leaders  of  the  race  in  this  country. 

He  represented  old  Ward  7  (now  13)  in  the  Common  Council 
of  1872-75,  and  in  the  Legislature  of  1870-71-73-74;  was  a  Master 
in  Chancery  for  Suffolk  County  from  1873  to  1878.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  School  Committee  in  1873-74-75-76,  and  resigned 
in  the  latter  year  when  elected  to  the  Board  of  Aldermen  of  1877. 
He  was  later  appointed  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Fire  Commis- 
sioners of  the  city  of  Boston,  which  position  he  held  from  1879  to 
1886.  In  the  latter  year  he  was  appointed  Collector  of  Internal  Rev- 
enue for  Massachusetts,  and  was  specially  requested  by  President 
Cleveland  to  accept  the  appointment. 

During  his  service  to  the  city  as  a  Fire  Commissioner  he  did  val- 
uable work  in  perfecting  the  efficiency  of  the  department,  and,  there- 
fore, did  not  wish  to  sever  his  connection  to  engage  in  a  new  field. 
The  request  was  so  urgent,  however,  that  after  much  hesitancy  he 
accepted  his  present  position  under  the  Democratic  administration. 

During  his  legislative  experience  he  advocated  the  ten-hour 
law,  and  introduced  the  bill  which  allowed  women  to  be  eligible  as 
members  of  the  School  Board.  While  in  the  aldermanic  chamber  he 
drafted  the  Horse  Railway  bill,  and  was  instrumental  in  the  passage 
of  the  law  relating  to  the  transfer  from  year  to  year  of  department 
appropriations  instead  of  to  the  Sinking-fund.  He  framed  the  law 
which  secured  pensions  for  firemen,  and  inaugurated  the  annual  fire- 
men's ball,  which  every  year  nets  such  a  substantial  sum.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  committee  which  drafted  the  law  that  made 
the  School  Board  of  this  city  consist  of  twenty-four  members. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES.  251 

He  has  had  considerable  practice  in  the  legal  profession  in  the 
past,  and  one  of  his  notable  cases  was  that  of  Thomas  Cahill  vs. 
Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts.  This  was  an  instance  where  his 
client  was  extradited  from  Ireland  as  the  supposed  murderer  of 
Bridget  Lanergan,  but  was  afterwards  discharged  from  jail  when 
Thomas  Piper,  the  real  murderer,  made  his  confession. 

In  politics  he  has  been  conspicuous  as  a  Democratic  leader,  and 
has  served  the  party  and  rendered  valuable  assistance  on  the  plat- 
form in  every  campaign  since  1868.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic City  Committee  in  1877-78,  and  presided  at  the  Democratic 
State  Convention  in  1885,  where  he  made  a  masterly  address  favor- 
able to  the  administration  of  President  Cleveland  and  Civil-Service 
Reform.  In  1887  he  delivered  the  Fourth-of-July  oration  before 
the  Boston  City  Government. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Irish  Charitable  Society,  National  Land" 
League,  Bay  State,  Massachusetts  Reform,  Tariff  Reform,  Massachui- 
setts  Young  Men's  Democratic,  Central,  clubs,  and  a  life  member 
of  the  Boston  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association.  He  is  also.  a. 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  State  Fire  Association,  Barnicoat  Vet- 
eran Association,  and  was  selected  to  write  a  history  of  the.  Bostom 
Fire  Department,  which  was  deposited  in  the  box  of  the  Ancient 
and  Honorable  Artillery  Company,  to  be  opened  upon,  their  3:5Q.ths 
anniversary. 

REV.   JOHN   CORDNER. 

Rev.  John  Cordner,  LL.D.,  is  a  Unitarian  minister;.  He-  was- 
born  in  the  parish  of  Hillsborough,  County  Down,  Ireland,  July  3, 
1 8 16.  By  the  removal  of  his  parents,  during  his  infancy,  to  Newry, 
in  the  same  county,  he  passed  his  boyhood  and  early  manhood  in 
that  town,  receiving  such  education  there  as  the  best  local,  schools 
afforded.  While  quite  young  Mr.  Cordner  was  a  frequent  contributor 
to  a  liberal  newspaper  published  in  the  town,  of  which  Thomas 
O'Hagan,  afterwards  Lord  Chancellor  of  Ireland,  was  editor.  As  a 
writer,  young  Cordner  was  so  successful  that  he  was  almost  per- 
suaded by  Editor  O'Hagan  to  adopt  journalism  as  a  profession,  but, 


252  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

as  he  had  a  tendency  towards  the  Christian  ministry,  he  concluded  to 
pursue  his  studies  for  the  latter  calling.  He  was  brought  up  in  the 
First  Presbyterian  Congregation  of  Newry,  which  was  non-subscribing 
in  principle  and  Unitarian  in  belief.  The  congregation  was  connected 
with  the  Remonstrant  Synod  of  Ulster,  and  Dr.  Cordner's  studies 
were  carried  on  under  the  direction  of  that  body,  at  the  Royal 
College,  Belfast.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Remonstrant  Presbytery 
of  Bangor,  and  was  ordained  in  September,  1843.  He  first  took 
charge  of  a  Unitarian  congregation  in  the  city  of  Montreal,  Canada, 
where  he  had  sole  charge  for  thirty  years,  and  became  prominent 
among  the  clergy  of  that  city.  In  1852  he  married  a  daughter  of 
Rev.  Dr.  Francis  Parkman,  of  Boston,  and,  upon  his  retirement  from 
the  ministry,  owing  to  failing  strength,  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
this  city,  where  he  now  resides. 

Dr.  Cordner  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  public  and 
charitable  matters,  both  as  a  writer  and  preacher.  He  edited  the 
"  Liberal  Christian,"  of  Montreal,  for  several  years ;  he  is  the  author 
of  many  published  sermons,  and,  during  the  Rebellion,  he  advocated 
the  case  of  the  Federal  Government  as  against  the  insurgent  States 
of  the  South.  By  request  of  the  New  England  Society  of  Montreal, 
he  delivered  an  address  on  the  "  American  Conflict,"  which  was 
reprinted  in  England  and  widely  circulated  there.  Dr.  Cordner  is  a 
very  popular  Unitarian  of  this  city;  he  is  always  interested  in  re- 
ligious progress,  and  was  an  assiduous  worker,  with  others,  in  securing 
the  erection  of  the  present  magnificent  building  of  the  American 
Unitarian  Association. 

REV.   ROBERT   R.   MEREDITH. 

Rev.  Robert  R.  Meredith,  was  born  in  Ireland,  Feb.  8,  1838. 
He  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents  when  quite  young,  and 
located  in  New  York.  From  eighteen  to  twenty-seven  years  of  age 
he  followed  the  sea,  and  during  his  experience  was  a  boatswain  on 
the  ill-fated  steamer  "  Central  America,"  which  sailed  from  Aspinwall, 
over  thirty  years  ago,  with  five  hundred  passengers,  for  New  York. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES.  253 

The  steamer  sprung  aleak  one  stormy  night,  when  nearing  Cape 
Hatteras,  and  many  of  the  passengers  were  drowned.  Young 
Meredith  managed  to  lash  himself  to  a  portion  of  the  wheel-house, 
which  was  washed  away,  and  drifted  for  about  six  days,  without 
food  or  water,  until  he  was  picked  up,  in  an  unconscious  state,  by 
a  foreign  brig  bound  for  Quebec,  and  soon  after  he  returned  to 
New  York.  He  later  attended  the  Methodist  Seminary  at  Concord, 
N.H.,  where  he  studied  for  the  ministry.  He  served  as  chaplain  in 
the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-third  Regiment  of  New  York  Volunteers 
during  the  war,  and  afterwards  became  attached  to  the  missionary 
corps  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  labored  successively  in  Troy, 
N.Y.,  Newark,  N.J.,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  Springfield,  Mass.  In 
April,  1876,  he  came  to  Boston,  as  pastor  of  the  Temple-street 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  next  became  pastor  of  the  Phillips 
Congregational  Church,  of  South  Boston,  where  he  remained  five 
years,  during  which  time  he  had  the  church  enlarged  at  an  expense 
of  $30,000.  In  1880  he  became  identified^  with  the  Sunday-school 
class  work  in  Wesleyan  Hall,  and  in  a  short  time,  under  his  super- 
vision, the  attendance  was  so  large  that  Tremont  Temple  was  engaged 
for  meetings  every  Saturday  afternoon,  where  between  two  thousand 
and  three  thousand  persons  assembled.  On  Oct.  16,  1883,  he 
accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  Union  Church,  which  he  held  until  the 
spring  of  1887,  when  he  received  a  call  from  the  Tompkins-avenue 
Congregational  Church,  of  Brooklyn,  N.Y.  In  1882  he  had  the 
degree  of  D.D.  conferred  upon  him  by  Dartmouth  College. 

EDWARD   C.   CARRIGAN. 

Edward  C.  Carrigan  was  born  in  Chatham,  England,  in  1853, 
of  Irish  parents,  they  having  moved  there  some  years  previous  to 
the  time  of  his  birth.  He  died  on  Nov.  7,  1888,  while  on  his  way  to 
Colorado  Springs.  When  he  was  six  years  old  his  parents  came  to  this 
country,  landing  in  Quebec,  where  they  died.  He  was  early  left  to 
depend  upon  his  own  unaided  efforts,  and  found  his  way  to  Woodstock, 
Vt,  where  he  attended  the  village  school.    Acquiring  a  taste  for  study, 


254  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

he  determined  to  fit  himself  for  college,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
began  his  career  as  a  pedagogue  in  the  district  shools  of  Vermont  in 
order  to  obtain  funds  for  that  purpose.  While  at  Woodstock  he 
enlisted  for  the  war  in  the  last  year  of  the  struggle,  and  was  one  of 
the  youngest  volunteers  of  the  North.  He  entered  Dartmouth 
College  in  1874,  having  prepared  himself  by  hard  study.  He  paid 
his  way  by  teaching  in  many  places,  and  graduated  in  1877.  He 
came  to  Boston,  and  later  entered  the  office  of  General  Butler,  where 
he  followed  his  profession. 

He  entered  and  graduated  from  the  Boston  University  Law 
School.  In  1 88 1  he  became  principal  of  the  Boston  Evening  High 
School,  and  held  that  place  till  Oct.  10,  1886.  He  had  previously 
been  for  three  years  principal  of  the  Wells  School  at  the  West  End. 
Mr.  Carrigan  contributed  to  the  press  after  leaving  college,  and  has 
at  times  served  the  "  Herald "  and  other  Boston  papers.  He  had 
been  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Education  since  1883.  His 
name  will  long  be  a  monument  to  the  advancement  of  education  in 
the  State,  and  his  reputation  as  one  of  its  best  promoters  has  become 
national.  He  was  the  framer  of  our  present  evening-school  law,  one 
of  the  principal  promoters  of  the  free  text-book,  author  of  the 
illiteracy  bill,  and,  in  fact,  every  reform  for  good  in  our  schools  in 
recent  years  has  been  greatly  due  to  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Carrigan. 
He  served  as  a  member  of  the  School  Committee  of  Boston,  where 
he  exerted  great  influence.  One  of  the  last  and  valuable  acts  of  his 
life  was  an  ably-written  letter  to  the  Boston  press,  which  appeared  in 
the  Boston  papers  and  attracted  great  attention.  It  was  a  strong 
refutation  against  the  prejudiced  and  bigoted  arguments  of  certain 
anti-Irish  celebrities,  whose  sole  aim  in  life  seems  to  be  the  dis- 
franchisement of  the  Irish.  An  extract  from  the  letter  should  pass 
into  history,  and  the  subject  will  prove  particularly  interesting  to 
Irish  readers.  Mr.  Carrigan  headed  his  letter,  "  How  many  Irish- 
Americans  live  in  Boston?  "  and  the  following  authoritative  and  re- 
markable statement  appeared :  — 

"As  a  wholesale  disfranchisement  of  the  Irish  in  the  city  and  State 
is  proposed  by  our  British-American   friends,  I  have  thought  that  I 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


255 


might  be  of  service  to  those  who  are  seriously  contemplating  '  Irish 
extermination '  by  calling  their  attention  to  some  interesting,  if  not 
valuable,  data  found  in  the  census  of  the  Commonwealth  for  the 
period  ending  1885.  By  this  census  it  will  be  seen  that  the  children 
of  Irish  parentage  now  residing  in  Boston  numerically  exceed  those 
of  the  children  of  Massachusetts  parentage  by  89,763  ;  while  the 
same  report,  for  the  State,  shows  an  excess  of  69,790  children  of 
Irish  parentage  over  those  whose  parents  were  natives  of  Massachu- 
setts. No  one  should  be  misled  by  these  figures,  for  I  have  simply 
taken  the  two  highest  classes  of  people  in  the  Commonwealth  to 
show  the  ratio  of  the  so-called  '  Irish-American  '  to  that  of  the  '  native- 
Americans,'  whose  fathers  and  mothers  are  to  the  manor  born.  If 
now  we  add  the  8,508  children  who  are  half  Irish,  and  whose  mother 
or  father  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  the  ratio  will  be  98,271  to 
50,977,  or  nearly  two  to  one. 

"  So  much  for  Boston,  where,  as  we  have  observed,  it  is  determined 
that  in  the  coming  election  for  School  Committee  and  other  depart- 
ments of  the  City  Government  '  the  Irish  shall  be  swept  from  the 
board.'  It  is  not  necessary  to  print  the  census  of  other  cities  in  the 
State  which  show  like  ratios,  the  whole  number  of  persons  in  the 
Commonwealth  whose  parents  were  both  Irish  being  518,931,  and 
those  whose  parents  were  both  natives  of  Massachusetts  being 
449,141.  That  there  may  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  correctness  of  these 
statistics  I  will  quote  directly  from  the  report,  and  first  as  to  our 
Jesuit  Boston: — 

BOSTON. 


Place  of  Birth. 

Males. 

Females. 

Both 

Father. 

Mother. 

Native. 

Foreign. 

Native. 

Foreign. 

Sexes. 

Massachusetts  . . 

33.528 
24,976 

30,933 
60 

34,o84 
25,865 

42,195 
76 

140,740 

50,977 
3,323 
5,185 

Massachusetts   . . 
Massachusetts    . . 

256 


THE    IRISH   IN  BOSTON. 


THE   STATE. 


Children. 

Place  ot  iiirth. 

Males. 

Females. 

Both 
Sexes. 

Father. 

Mother. 

Native. 

Foreign. 

Native. 

Foreign. 

Massachusetts  . . 

127,187 
217,500 

112,496 
268 

I3M52 

231,058 

I3I.452 
3H 

S1 8,93 1 
449,141 

Massachusetts    . . 

"  It  is  not  necessary  to  discuss  probabilities  of  a  growth  of  these 
ratios,  nor  comment  upon  the  right  of  class  representation,  yet,  in 
view  of  the  rapid  increase  of  the  '  foreign  element,'  I  have  thought 
that  it  might  not  be  unwise  for  our  friends  who  are  marshalling  their 
anti-Irish  forces  to  look  philosophically  at  the  facts,  and,  having 
reviewed  the  Constitution  and  Bill  of  Rights,  to  suggest  the  follow- 
ing as  a  fitting  topic  for  a  Sunday  lesson  in  Tremont  Temple :  l  — 

"  All  religious  sects  and  denominations  demeaning  themselves  peaceably  and 
as  good  citizens  of  the  Commonwealth  shall  be  equal  under  the  protection  of  the 
law,  and  no  subordination  of  any  one  sect  or  denomination  to  another  shall  ever  be 
established  by  law." 


HENRY  BERNARD  CARPENTER. 

The  brilliant  and  many-gifted  man  whose  name  we  have  just 
written  is,  first  of  all,  a  typical  Celt.  He  has  the  sensitive,  poetic 
temperament ;  the  fervor  of  eloquence ;  the  generosity,  enthusiasm, 
and  kindly  expansiveness,  and  the  natural  religiousness,  to  coin  a 
word,  which  are  racial  traits.  But  in  this  man,  and  individualizing 
him,  there  is,  over  the  poetic  instinct,  the  poet's  creative  gift;  and 
behind  the  natural  orator,  the  scholar  steeped  in  old  classic  lore,  and 
abreast  of  all  modern  intellectual  progress.  In  religion  a  Unitarian, 
and  a  clergyman  of  that  communion  as  well,  yet  is  he  singularly 
drawn  by  the  spiritual  and  material  beauty  of  the  Catholic  church, 

1  An  anti-Catholic  demonstration  was  held  at  Tremont  Temple  at  this  time. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  257 

whom  he  loves  to  call  "The  Mother-Church,"  and  to  whom  he  has 
paid  tribute  of  almost  filial  love  in  poem  and  oration.  He  is  a 
dreamer,  who  would  find  his  most  congenial  environment  far  enough 
either  from  battle-field  or  forum ;  and  yet,  withal,  a  man  of  militant 
spirit,  natural  champion  of  the  oppressed.  lie  is  intensely  proud  of 
his  Irish  birth,  and  has  testified  in  helpful  ways  his  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  Irish  Home  Rule. 

Henry  Bernard  Carpenter  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ire.,  in  1840. 
His  father  and  mother  were  each  members  of  very  old  and  honorable 
Irish  families ;  the  one  of  Kilkenny,  the  other  of  Derry.  On  neither 
side  is  there  any  intermixture  of  English  blood.  The  father  was  a 
clergyman  of  the  then  Established  (Protestant)  Church  of  Ireland, 
in  whose  principles,  as  well  as  in  the  high  Tory  and  Orange  tenets  of 
his  mother's  family,  the  Boyds  of  Derry,  young  Carpenter  was 
brought  up.  His  father  was  his  first  teacher,  and  grounded  him  well 
in  the  Greek  and  Latin  classics. 

In  his  eighteenth  year  he  entered  Oxford  University,  and  made 
his  course  with  most  distinguishing  success.  He  won  prizes  and  a 
scholarship  in  Greek  and  Latin  classical  studies,  and  here  first  began 
to  manifest  his  poetic  gift.  His  brilliant  University  course  is  the 
more  to  be  noted  as  it  was  made  under  difficulties.  He  suffered 
much  then,  as  he  has  since,  from  a  malformation  of  the  eyes  and 
weak  sight,  and  often  had  to  depend  on  readers. 

He  graduated  and  left  Oxford  in  1862,  and  received  the  ap- 
pointment, under  the  Royal  Commissioners  of  Education  for  Ireland, 
of  Assistant  Master  in  Classics  and  English  Literature  at  Portora 
Royal  School,  Enniskillen,  well  called  "  the  Eden  of  Ireland." 
William  and  Oscar  Wilde,  sons  of  Sir  William  Wilde,  and  other  boys 
who  have  since  become  prominent  men,  were  pupils  of  Mr.  Carpenter 
at  Portora.  The  ode  written  by  Mr.  Carpenter  for  the  vice-regal  visit 
of  the  Earl  of  Carlisle  attracted  attention,  not  alone  from  the  man 
who  was  honored  in  being  the  subject  of  it,  but  from  many  others, 
who  noted  how  gracefully  his  muse  could  move  even  in  the  fettering 
lines  of  the  poem  of  an  occasion.  He  was  ordained  afterwards  as 
chaplain  to  the  school,  and  later  became  chaplain  to  an  Earl  and 


258  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

his  tenantry,  near  Enniskillen.  His  first  ventures  in  the  lecture  field 
were  made  at  this  time,  and  with  great  success. 

We  have  touched  on  the  stern  Tory  and  Protestant  influences 
under  which  Mr.  Carpenter  was  brought  up.  Little  by  little,  and 
yielding  every  point  only  in  deference  to  irresistible  conviction,  the 
young  man  departed  from  the  old  landlord  and  aristocratic  ideas  of 
his  heritage  and  training,  and  in  1 870  allied  himself  with  the  Irish 
Home  Rule  movement.  His  religious,  as  well  as  his  political,  sen- 
timents underwent  a  radical  change. 

In  1874  he  came  to  New  England.  Here  he  found  congenial 
occupation,  first  as  lecturer  and  contributor  to  the  magazines  and 
journals,  later  as  pastor  of  congregations  in  Yarmouth  and  Bridge- 
ton,  Me.  In  1878,  in  response  to  repeated  and  urgent  overtures, 
he  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  Hollis-st.  Unitarian  Church,  Boston. 
Mr.  Carpenter  greatly  endeared  himself  to  his  congregation,  and 
became  also  a  favorite  in  Boston's  social  and  literary  circles. 

Mr.  Carpenter  published  his  first  volume,  "  Liber  Amoris,"  in 
1887,  with  the  Messrs.  Ticknor  &  Co.,  of  Boston.  It  is  a  mediaeval 
romance  in  blank  verse,  divided  into  four  books,  each  with  an  ex- 
quisite lyrical  prelude.  The  story  itself  is  lovely ;  instinct  with  the 
spirit  of  the  chivalric  ages,  which  were  also  the  Ages  of  Faith.  The 
key-note  of  it  all  is  Love  perfected  by  Sacrifice.  The  expression  is 
well-nigh  perfect;  like  the  thought,  full  of  serious  beauty,  both 
rising  sometimes  into  grandeur.  How  beautiful  this  invocation  to 
Sleep  ! 

"  Sleep,  Sleep,  sweet  Sleep,  father  of  Life  and  Death, 
Thy  twin-born  children ;  source  and  end  of  all ; 
Heaven's  porter,  who,  with  bright,  smooth  key  of  gold, 
Warm  from  the  breast  of  God's  dumb  daughter,  Peace, 
Openest,  through  darkness,  for  world-wearied  man, 
A  door  to  fields  of  light  and  starry  streams, 
Where  he  may  greet  his  dead  whom  he  deems  lost, 
And  in  one  minute  taste  eternity  ;  — 
Sweet  Sleep,  dear,  easeful  nurse  of  toil  and  woe, 
Who  gatherest  all  thy  children  one  by  one, 
Whether  in  earth  or  sky  or  soundless  sea, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  259 

In  thy  warm  folds  of  painless  lullabies, 

And  layest  them  soft  upon  the  knees  of  God, 

Yet  comest  never  near  God's  hands  or  eyes. 

For  God,  he  only,  slumbers  not  nor  sleeps  : 

Dear  Sleep,  upon  whose  heart,  the  home  of  dreams, 

Life  wakes  and  wonders,  weeps  and  sinks  to  rest." 

Here  is  another  typical  passage :  — 

"  If  the  love  within  thee, 


However  holy,  live  for  its  own  sake, 

More  than  for  those  it  loves,  oh,  then,  farewell 

Love's  triumph  over  Death,  farewell  Love's  last 

Fidelity  made  mightier  by  despair ; 

Farewell  the  faith  that  follows  its  lost  star 

Down  through  Hell's  whirlpools  and  great  gulfs  of  night ! 

Love,  living  for  himself,  is  but  a  dead, 

Kingdomless  god,  shorn  of  his  deity." 

"  Liber  Amoris "  proved  not  only  a  poem  for  the  poets,  but 
a  poem  for  the  people  as  well.  It  has  passed  through  several 
editions. 

Of  Mr.  Carpenter's  shorter  poems,  few  have  been  more  ad- 
mired than  the  "  Vive  Valeque,"  written  after  the  departure  of 
another  beloved  poet,  the  late  Dr.  Robert  Dwyer  Joyce,  on  his 
unhappily  fruitless  quest  for  health  in  his  native  land.  These 
stanzas  may  fitly  be  given  to  the  honor  of  the  two  poets :  — 

"  Oh,  saddest  of  all  the  sea's  daughters,  Ierne,  sweet  mother  isle, 

Say,  how  canst  thou  heal  at  thy  waters  the  son  whom  we  lend  thee  awhile? 
When  the  gathering  cries  implore  thee  to  help  and  to  heal  thy  kind, 
When  the  dying  are  strewn  before  thee,  thy  living  ones  crouch  behind ; 
When  about  thee  thy  perishing  children  cling,  crying,  '  Thou  only  art  fair ! ' 
We  have  seen  through  Life's  mazes  bewildering  how  the  earth-gods  never  spare. 
And  the  wolves,  blood-ripe  with  slaughter,  gnaw  at  thee  with  fangs  of  steel, 
Thou,  Niobe-land  of  the  water,  hast  many  children  to  heal. 
Yet  heal  him,  Ierne,  dear  mother,  thy  days  with  his  days  shall  increase ; 
At  the  song  of  this  Delphic  brother,  nigh  half  of  thy  pangs  shall  cease. 

"  Nor  art  thou,  sweet  friend,  in  a  far  land  —  all  places  are  near  on  the  globe ; 
Our  greeting  wear  for  thy  garland,  our  love  for  thy  festival  robe, 
While  we  keep  through  glory  and  gloom  two  altar-candles  for  thee, 


260  THE    IRISH  IN   BOSTON. 

Thy  '  Blanid1  of  deathless  doom,  and  thy  dead  but  undying  '  Deirdre.' 
And  may  He  who  builds  in  His  patience  the  houses  which  death  reveals, 
Round  whom  the  fair  constellations  are  dust  from  His  chariot  wheels  ; 
Who  showers  His  coin  without  scorning,  each  day  as  He  issues  it  bright, 
The  sun  as  His  gold  in  the  morning,  the  stars  as  His  silver  at  night, 
The  love  which  feedeth  the  sparrow  and  watcheth  the  little  leaf, 
Which  guideth  the  death-laden  arrow  and  counteth  each  grain  of  grief, 
Change  thy  life-chant  from  its  minor,  and  spread  thy  spirit  serene, 
As  gold  before  the  refiner  whose  face  is  reflected  therein." 

Mr.  Carpenter  went  abroad  in  the  fall  of  1887,  and  spent  nearly 
a  year  in  Greece  and  Italy.  He  gave  to  delighted  Boston  audiences 
during  the  season  of  1888-89  the  fruit  of  his  loving  study  of  the 
sacred  places  of  poetry  and  art,  in  a  series  of  lectures  which  have 
never  been  equalled  here  in  intrinsic  interest,  literary  merit,  and 
eloquent  delivery  since  the  days  of  Wendell  Phillips. 

Mr.  Carpenter  retired  from  the  pastorate  of  the  Hollis-street 
church  on  its  union  with  the  Shawmut-avenue  Unitarian  church,  in 
1887.  He  has  now  charge  of  a  large  Unitarian  congregation,  which 
has  its  services  in  Steinert  Hall,  Boston. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES 


OF 


NOTED     WOMEN. 


SKETCHES    OF    NOTED    WOMEN. 


LOUISE    IMOGEN   GUINEY. 

ABOUT  eight  years  ago  there  appeared  in  the  Boston  "Pilot" 
a  little  narrative  poem  of  quite  notable  freshness  and  vigor, 
entitled  "  Charondas."  The  story  of  the  old  Greek  soldier  and  law- 
giver was  presented  sympathetically,  and  with  the  even  strength  of  a 
practised  writer;  yet  there  was  more  than  a  suggestion  of  high- 
minded,  college-bred  young  manhood  about  it.  "  A  bright  Harvard 
boy,"  we  said,  and  smiled  at  the  ineffective  disguise  of  the  flippant 
initials  "  P.  O.  L."  appended  to  the  poem.  The  same  day  a  letter 
from  a  friend  enclosed  one  of  her  notes  from  a  late  pupil,  of  whose 
literary  promise  much  had  been  said.  Two  lines  of  this  especial 
note,  however,  arrested  attention :  "  I  am  contributing  verses  to  the 
'  Pilot '  over  a  string  of  bogus  initials,  '  P.  O.  L.'  and  the  signature 
1  Louise  Imogen  Guiney.'  "  Here  was  the  Harvard  boy  —  a  graduate 
of  the  Convent  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  Providence. 

Born  in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  Jan.  7,  1861,  she  passed  through  a 
course  of  studies  at  the  Notre  Dame  Academy  of  Roxbury,  the 
Everett  Grammar  School,  Boston,  and  latterly  at  the  Convent  of  the 
Sacred  Heart,  "  Elmhurst,"  Providence,  R.I.,  where  she  graduated 
in  1879.  She  is  one  of  the  youngest  and  brightest  writers  engaged 
in  current  literary  work,  and  possessing  great  intellectual  ability  and 
uncommon  scholarship,  gives  promise  of  high  literary  achievements 
and  extended  popularity. 

Her  first  book  —  "  Songs  at  the  Start " —  was  published  in  Boston 
in  1884,  and  has  been  followed  by  "Goose-Quill  Papers,"  1885; 
"The  White  Sail,"   1887,'    and  "Brownies  and  Bogies,"   1888. 

Much  of  her  earlier  work  appeared  in  the  "  Pilot ;  "  for  John 
Boyle  O'Reilly  was  among  the  first  to  recognize  her  budding  talent, 

(263) 


264  THE   IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

and  was  the  most  sedulous  in  fostering  it.  In  literature,  at  least, 
one  cannot  separate  the  artist  from  the  man  or  woman ;  for  God's 
truth  is  in  the  saying,  that  whatever  one  incidentally  writes,  he  in- 
evitably writes  himself.  Miss  Guiney  comes  naturally  by  her  aptitude 
for  grasping  and  voicing  the  heroic,  and  this  is  the  dominant  char- 
acteristic in  her  poetry.  Her  father,  Gen.  Patrick  R.  Guiney,  —  him- 
self a  man  of  marked  literary  tastes,  which,  in  a  more  leisurely  life 
might  have  developed  into  talents,  —  enlisted  at  the  first  call  to  arms 
in  the  late  Civil  War,  and  was  active  in  raising  the  famous  Ninth 
Regiment  of  Massachusetts.  He  participated  in  thirty-six  fierce 
engagements,  but  was  wounded  and  incapacitated  for  further  service 
in  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness.  He  survived  the  war  some  years, 
always  a  sufferer,  but  a  brave  and  uncomplaining  one ;  and  <  .ied  in 
the  flower  of  his  age,  from  disease  engendered  by  the  wounds  re- 
ceived in  his  last  battle.  There  is  a  thought  of  him  and  of  the 
grandfather  who  fought  in  the  Irish  uprising  of  '98,  in  the  sonnet 
on  the  flags  in  the  Massachusetts  State  House,  in  the  little  volume 
"  Songs  at  the  Start,"  already  referred  to :  — 

"  Dear  witnesses,  all  luminous,  eloquent, 

Stacked  thickly  on  the  tessellated  floor! 

The  soldier-blood  stirs  in  me  as  of  yore 
In  sire  and  grandsire  who  to  battle  went ; 
I  seem  to  know  the  shaded  valley-tent, 

The  armed  and  bearded  men,  the  thrill  of  war, 

Horses  that  prance  to  hear  the  cannon  roar, 
Shrill  bugle-calls  and  camp-fire  merriment." 

She  did,  indeed,  know  something  of  "the  camp-fire  merriment" 
by  actual  experience ;  for,  when  a  toddling  child,  she  went  with  her 
mother  to  Virginia,  where  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  encamped. 
In  a  delightful  sketch,  "  A  Child  in  Camp,"  —  the  sketch,  indeed, 
which  gives  her  little  volume  of  prose  essays,  "Goose-Quill  Papers," 
brought  out  by  Roberts  Brothers  in  1885,  its  best  reason  for  being, 
—  she  records  her  morning  twilight  impressions  of  a  portentous  era 
in  American  history. 

The  heroism  which  appeals  to  our  poet  is  of  what  may  be  called 


LOUISE    IMOGEN    GUINEY 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  265 

the  objective  order.  This  is  as  is  natural  for  a  strong,  self-reliant, 
self-centred  life,  that  has  budded  and  bloomed  out-of-doors,  like  the 
lithe  young  willow  of  her  native  New  England,  which  her  straight, 
slender,  supple  form  suggests.  She  is  not  a  laureate  of  the  out-of- 
sight  heroism  of  which  so  many  women  poets  have  sung  bravely  and 
sweetly,  if  sometimes  monotonously.  A  mood  like  that  voiced  in  Rosa 
Mulholland's  famous  little  poem,  "  Failure,"  would  meet  scant  sympa- 
thy from  this  sunny  young  Greek.  Indeed,  her  poetry  shows  a  ten- 
dency to  look  on  the  loves  and  losses  of  ordinary  humanity  in  a 
calm,  judicial  way,  as  if  they  concerned  the  dwellers  in  another 
planet,  and  were  quite  unlikely  ever  to  cast  a  shadow  upon  her  own 
morning  path.  A  tendency,  only,  we  say;  for  there  is  a  queer, 
wistful,  pathetic  touch,  which  is  not  altogether  human,  in  some  of 
the  poems  in  her  second  volume,  "  The  White  Sail ;  "  notably  in  the 
legend  of  "  The  Wooing  Pine,"  in  the  "  Last  Faun,"  "  Youth,"  and 
"  The  Atoning  Yesterday,"  as  if  a  wood-nymph  of  the  golden  Hel- 
lenic age,  called  to  take  on  the  earthly  risks  and  the  immortal 
guerdons  of  humanity,  should  shrink  and  waver,  half  doubting  that 
the  new  life  held  full  compensation  for  the  groves  and  grottoes  and 
fountains,  and  the  blithe,  irresponsible  play-fellows  of  her  passing 
natural  beatitude. 

"The  White  Sail,"  with  which  her  latest  volume  of  poems  opens, 
is  the  old  classic  story  of  Theseus  freeing  Athens  from  the  yearly 
maiden-tribute  to  the  Minotaur  of  Crete ;  and  of  his  fatal  forgetful- 
ness  to  hoist  the  promised  white  sail  on  his  triumphant  return  to  his 
father,  iEgeus.  It  is  in  blank  verse,  which  is  almost  invariably 
smooth  and  melodious,  with  here  and  there  a  grand  Tennysonian 
line.  Though  the  poem  nowhere  rises  to  the  dramatic  force  and  fire 
which  permeate  the  legend  of  "  Tarpeia,"  —  by  all  odds  the  best 
thing  in  the  book,  —  yet  it  abounds  in  strong  passages.  A  fine, 
foreshadowing  touch  is  this  incident  of  the  childhood  of  Theseus, 
when  he  sees  his  pet  turtle-pigeon  dead  through  his  neglect:  — 

-    "Then  the  child 
Bewailed  his  darling,  lying  stiff  and  mute. 
And  ^Ethra  held  his  innocent  han  dand  hers 


266  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 

With  solemn  lessoning ;  for  she  foresaw 

Remorse,  and  irremediable  ache, 

And  ruin,  following  him  whose  manhood  swerves 

To  the  eased  by-ways  of  forgetfulness. 

She,  his  hot  brow  caressing,  so  besought 

The  weeping  Prince :  '  If  thou,  O  little  son ! 

Wilt  lay  hereafter  duties  on  thyself, 

Stand  mindful  of  them,  all  thy  vows  observe. 

Be  a  trust  broken  but  a  small,  small  thing, 

Its  possible  shadow  slaves  this  world  in  woe.'" 

There  is  a  touch  of  grim  humor  in  the  recounting  of  the  pun- 
ishments which  Theseus,  in  later  years,  meted  out  to  the  monsters 
who  oppressed  the  "  realms  distressed,"  through  which  he  passed  to 
find  his  father : — 

"  He  harsh  Procrustes  bedded ;  limb  from  limb 
Rent  the  Pine-bender  on  recoiling  boughs ; 
And  him  that  thrust  the  lavers  of  his  feet 
Headlong  in  chasms,  Theseus  likewise  served 
By  dint  of  hospitable  precedent." 

Take  it  all  in  all,  we  are  glad  of  "  The  White  Sail,"  were  it  only  for 
this  delicious  lyric,  with  which  our  poet  makes  Alcamenes  soothe 
the  last  vigil  of  ^Egeus :  — 

"  Thy  voice  is  like  the  moon,  revealed  by  stealthy  paces, 

Thy  silver  margined  voice  like  the  ample  moon  and  free ; 
Ah,  beautiful !  ah,  mighty !  the  stars  fall  on  their  faces, 
The  warring  world  is  silent,  for  love  and  awe  of  thee. 

My  soul  is  but  a  sailor,  to  whom  thy  wonder-singing 
Is  anchorage,  and  haven,  and  unimagined  day  ! 

And  who,  in  angry  ocean,  to  thine  enchantment  clinging, 
Forgets  the  helm  for  rapture,  and  drifts  to  doom  away." 

"  Tarpeia "  is  the  story,  told  first  by  Livy,  of  the  Roman  girl, 
daughter  of  the  aged  keeper  of  the  Citadel,  who,  straying  outside 
the  gates  into  the  camp  of  the  besieging  Sabines,  is  tempted  by  the 
jewels  of  the  chief:  — 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  267 

"  The  armlets  he  wore  were  thrice  royal  and  wondrous  to  see : 

Exquisite  artifice,  whorls  of  barbaric  design, 
Frost's  fixed  mimicry ;  orbic  imaginings  fine 

In  sevenfold  coils :  and  in  orient  glimmer  from  them, 
The  variform  voluble  swinging  of  gem  upon  gem. 

And  the  glory  thereof  sent  fever  and  fire  to  her  eye. 

'  I  had  never  such  trinkets,'  she  sighed,  —  like  a  lute  was  her  sigh." 

She  offers,  if  he  will  but  give  them  to  her,  to  unbar  the  city- 
gates  for  him  and  his  host.  He  promises,  and  his  followers  likewise 
promise  her  their  all ;  but  when  the  act  was  done,  the  poor  little 
traitor  — 

"  Repulsed  where  they  passed  her,  half  tearful  for  wounded  belief, 
'  The  bracelets ! '  she  pleaded.     Then  faced  her  the  leonine  chief, 

And  answered  her :  '  Even  as  I  promised,  maid-merchant,  I  do.' 
Down  from  his  dark  shoulder  the  baubles  he  sullenly  drew. 

'  This  left  arm  shall  nothing  begrudge  thee.     Accept.     Find  it  sweet. 
Give,  too,  O  my  brothers ! '     The  jewels  he  flung  at  her  feet. 

The  jewels  hard,  heavy ;  she  stooped  to  them,  flushing  with  dread, 
But  the  shield  he  flung  after :  it  clanged  on  her  beautiful  head. 

Like  the  Apennine  bells  when  the  villagers'  warnings  begin, 
Athwart  the  first  lull  broke  the  ominous  din  upon  din ; 

With  a  '  Hail  benefactress ! '  upon  her  they  heaped  in  their  zeal 
Death :  agate  and  iron ;  death ;  chrysoprase,  beryl,  and  steel. 

A  mountain  of  shields !  and  the  gemmy  bright  tangle  in  links, 
A  torrent-like  gush,  pouring  out  on  the  grass  from  the  chinks, 

Pyramidal  gold  !  the  sumptuous  monument  won 

By  the  deed  they  had  loved  her  for,  doing,  and  loathed  her  for,  done." 

These    magnificent  lines  speak  for  themselves.       The    highest 
tribute  to  the  poet's  skill  in  handling  the  terrible  story  is  that  one 


268  THE   IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

turns  from  Tarpeia  with  pity  and  horror,  rather  than  with  contempt. 
Freedom,  strength,  and  simplicity  mark  every  line  of  this  noble 
poem. 

"  Moustache "  ought  to  go  into  school-readers  with  Father 
Prout's  "  Dog  of  the  Three  Days,"  and  Campbell's  patriotic  "  Spanish 
Parrot."  The  historical  ballads  of  "  Chaluz  Castle  "  and  "  A  Chouan" 
are  in  the  martial  vein  she  loves.  In  the  appended  poem,  she 
touches  high-water  mark  of  the  heroic.  It  proves  that  she  has  a 
heart  for  her  heritage  of  patriot-blood,  and  on  its  sole  strength  she 
wins  a  high  place  among  the  poets  of  America.  Whittier  might 
have  owned  it  with  pride ;  and  it  would  have  been  heard,  had  he 
lived,  on  the  eloquent  lips  of  Wendell  Phillips. 

JOHN   BROWN:    A  PARADOX. 

Compassionate  eyes  had  our  brave  John  Brown, 

And  a  craggy,  stern  forehead,  a  militant  frown; 

He,  the  storm-bow  of  peace.     Give  him  volley  on  volley, 

The  fool  who  redeemed  us  once  of  our  folly, 

And  the  smiter  that  healed  us,  our  right  John  Brown! 

Too  vehement,  verily,  was  John  Brown! 
For  waiting  is  statesmanlike ;  his  the  renown 
Of  the  holy  rash  arm,  the  equipper  and  starter 
Of  freedom ;  aye,  call  him  fanatic  and  martyr ; 
He  can  carry  both  halos,  our  plain  John  Brown. 

A  scandalous  stumbling-block  was  John  Brown, 
And  a  jeer ;  but,  ah !  soon  from  the  terrified  town, 
In  his  bleeding  track  made  over  hilltop  and  hollow, 
Wise  armies  and  councils  were  eager  to  follow, 
And  the  children's  lips  chanted  our  lost  John  Brown. 

Star-led  for  us  stumbled  and  groped  John  Brown,  — 

Star-led  in  the  awful  morasses  to  drown ; 

And  the  trumpet  that  rang  for  a  nation's  upheaval, 

From  the  thought  that  was  just,  thro1  the  deed  that  was  evil, 

Was  blown  with  the  breath  of  this  dumb  John  Brown! 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  269 

Bared  heads  and  a  pledge  unto  mad  John  Brown! 
Now  the  curse  is  allayed,  now  the  dragon  is  down, 
Now  we  see,  clear  enough,  looking  back  at  the  onset, 
Christianity's  flood-tide  and  Chivalry's  sunset 
In  the  old  broken  heart  of  our  hanged  John  Brown. 

We  have  touched  on  the  out-of-door  life  of  our  poet.  It  has 
enabled  her  to  embody  the  bracing  breath,  the  music,  and  the  deli- 
cate colors  of  the  New  England  spring  in  many  a  charming  poem. 
The  critical  Richard  Watson  Gilder  gave  unstinted  praise  to  a  tiny 
spring-time  lyric  in  her  earlier  volume ;  and  her  "  Gloucester  Harbor," 
which  has  an  unwonted  note  of  human  pathos,  too,  has  won  promi- 
nence among  poems  of  places.  Her  eyes  for  the  shyer  beauties  of 
woodland  or  riverside  are  keener  now,  and  her  touch  is  surer.  What 
a  lovely  picture  is  this :  — 

"As  a  shy  brook  wheels  from  jutting  boughs, 
And  in  a  sidelong  glimmer  sobs  away." 

"  Down  Stream  "  is  exquisite,  and  so  is  "  Garden  Chidings ;  " 
and  as  much  must  be  said  for  "  Temptation,"  where  the  sight  of  a 
gypsy  camp  sets  our  poet  wishing  to 

"  Break  the  lens  and  the  plane, 

To  burn  the  pen  and  the  brush," 

that  shelnight  be 

"Abroad  with  the  rain, 

And  at  home  with  the  forest  hush, 
With  the  crag,  and  the  flower-urn." 

Her  verse  is  nearly  always  notably  musical ;  but  "  The  Knights 
of  Weather  "  is  one  of  the  best  examples  we  have  ever  noted  of  a 
poem  which  sings  itself. 

"  The  White  Sail "  is  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  Keats ;  and 
we  find  frequent  traces  of  his  influence,  notably  in  "  Cyclamen." 
How  Keatsish,  but  how  beautiful,  are  these  lines :  — 


270  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

•'  To  thee  my  carol  now !  albeit  no  lark 
Hath  for  thy  praise  a  throat  too  exquisite. 

Oh  would  that  song  might  fit 
These  harsh  north  slopes  for  thine  inhabiting, 
Or  shelter  lend  thy  loveliest  laggard  wing, 
Thou  undefiled  estray  of  earth's  o'ervanished  Spring ! " 

And  then  from  another  poem,  "  On  Some  Old  Music  " :  — 

"  How,  like  an  angel,  it  effaced  the  crime, 
The  moil  and  heat  of  our  tempestuous  time, 

And  brought  from  dewier  air,  to  us  who  waited, 
The  breath  of  peace,  the  healing  breath  sublime ! 
As  falls,  at  midnight's  chime 
To  an  old  pilgrim,  plodding  on  belated. 
The  thought  of  Love's  remote  sunshining  prime." 

Our  poet  is  uncompanioned  among  the  singers  of  our  day  — 
except  by  Edith  Thomas  —  in  this,  that  she  sings  no  love  songs. 
There  is  a  suggestion,  though,  of  latent  capabilities  in  that  direction 
in  the  lyric  from  "  The  White  Sail,"  already  quoted.  She  differs 
from  other  woman  poets,  too,  in  that  she  almost  never  writes  a  dis- 
tinctively religious  poem.  "  Ranieri "  and  "  Frederic  Ozanam  "  are 
the  nearest  approaches ;  unless,  indeed,  we  take  "  Saint  Cadoc's 
Bell,"  which  is  as  weird  in  its  way  as  Mrs.  Browning's  "  Lay  of  the 
Brown  Rosary." 

We  miss  from  this  collection  the  noble  Grant  Memorial  poem 
which  Miss  Guiney  wrote,  by  invitation  of  the  city  of  Boston,  for 
the  Grant  Eulogy,  Oct.  22,  1885  ;  and  "  Sergeant  Jasper,"  written 
a  few  months  later,  and  which  was  widely  republished  at  the  time 
of  the  unveiling  of  the  monument  to  the  hero  of  Fort  Moultrie, 
in  Savannah,  Feb.  22,   1888. 

Miss  Guiney's  latest  volume  is  "  Brownies  and  Bogies,"  D.  Lo- 
throp  &  Co.,  Boston,  1888.  It  is  a  veritable  compendium  of  the 
fairy-tales  and  folk-lore  of  all  times  and  peoples.  She  is  a  con- 
tributor to  the  "  Atlantic  Monthly,"  "  Harpers'  Magazine,"  the 
"  Catholic  World,"  the  "  Century,"  "  Scribner's,"  "  Wide  Awake," 
"  The  Critic,"  the   New  York  "  Independent,"    etc.     A  fascinating 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  271 

sketch  of  hers,  "  Dr.  Johnson's  Favorites,"  was  published  anony- 
mously, a  few  months  ago,  in  "  Macmillan's  Magazine,"  London, 
England,  and  attracted  much  favorable  comment  in  literary  circles 
on  both  sides  of  the  water. 

Miss  Guiney  is  versed  in  English  literature  far  beyond  the  wont 
even  of  professed  literary  people.  She  is  a  good  Latin  scholar, 
fluent  in  French  and  Italian,  an  accomplished  musician.  She  has 
just  set  out  on  a  visit  to  Europe,  which  will  probably  be  pro- 
longed over  two  years.  With  youth,  energy,  and  industry,  a  noble 
character  and  an  attractive  personality,  with  an  honorable  place 
achieved  in  letters,  while  her  resources  are  still  but  half  developed, 
it  is  not  rash  to  predict  that  within  the  next  decade  Louise  Imogen 
Guiney  will  make  for  herself  a  great  and  enduring  name  in  English 
literature.  K.  E.  C. 

MARY  ELIZABETH  BLAKE. 

Mary  Elizabeth  M'Grath  was  born  in  Dungarvan,  County  Water- 
ford,  Ireland,  in  1840.  In  1849  sne  came  with  her  parents  to  Quincy, 
Mass.,  where  her  father  started  the  since  well-known  M'Grath  marble 
works.  Her  father  was  a  man  of  scholarly  tastes  and  extensive 
reading,  and  his  daughter  received  most  of  her  early  education  at 
home.  Later,  she  made  the  regular  course  at  the  Quincy  High 
School,  attended  George  B.  Emerson's  private  school  in  Boston  for  a 
few  years,  and  finally  devoted  some  years  to  music  and  the  languages 
at  the  Academy  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  Manhattanville,  N.Y.  In 
1865  she  was  married  to  Dr.  John  G.  Blake,  of  Boston. 

While  Mrs.  Blake  was  still  in  her  teens,  her  graceful  poems  and 
sketches,  contributed  to  "  The  Pilot "  over  the  pen-name  of  "  Marie," 
attracted  much  favorable  notice.  A  little  later,  the  Boston  "  Gazette," 
then  under  the  editorship  of  P.  B.  Shillaber,  secured  her  promising 
pen.  She  wrote  also  for  "  The  Transcript "  and  other  Boston  dailies. 
She  scored  an  immediate  success  with  her  "Rambling  Talks,"  in 
"The  Boston  Journal."  These  have  since  become  one  of  the  most 
popular  features  of  that  paper. 


272  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

But  Mrs.  Blake  is  preeminently  a  poet,  with  a  very  sweet  and 
distinct  voice,  akin  to  none  of  the  American  sisterhood  of  singers, 
except,  perhaps,  Mrs.  Sarah  M.  B.  Piatt.  Her  poems  for  children, 
most  of  which  appeared  first  in  the  "  Wide  Awake,"  have  made  "  M. 
E.  B."  a  dear  name  and  a  familiar  in  thousands  of  American  homes. 

We  find  among  Mrs.  Blake's  collected  poems  a  cluster  on  which 
her  poetic  fame  might  safely  rest,  albeit  they  were  penned  with  no 
thought  of  fame,  and  their  author,  like  many  another,  but  sang  to 
ease  her  sorrow.  They  are  the  poems  evoked  by  the  great  and  in- 
effaceable grief  of  her  young  motherhood,  the  deaths  of  three  lovely 
children  within  a  week.  The  cluster  is  named,  "  In  Sorrow,"  and  the 
tears  of  bereaved  mothers  whose  hearts  have  yearned  to  the  author 
through  fellowship  of  desolation  is  their  all-sufficing  eulogy.  We 
quote :  — 

A  DEAD   SUMMER. 

What  lacks  the  summer? 

Not  roses  blowing, 

Nor  tall  white  lilies  with  fragrance  rife, 

Nor  green  things  gay  with  the  bliss  of  growing, 

Nor  glad  things  drunk  with  the  wine  of  life, 

Nor  flushing  of  cloud  in  blue  skies  shining, 

Nor  soft  wind  murmurs  to  rise  and  fall, 

Nor  birds  for  singing,  nor  vines  for  twining,  — 
Three  little  buds  I  miss,  no  more, 
That  blossomed  last  year  at  my  garden  door,  — 
And  that  is  all. 

What  lacks  the  summer? 

Not  waves  a-quiver 

With  arrows  of  light  from  the  hand  of  dawn, 

Nor  drooping  of  boughs  by  the  dimpling  river, 

Nor  nodding  of  grass  on  the  windy  lawn, 

Nor  tides  upswept  upon  silver  beaches, 

Nor  rustle  of  leaves  on  tree-tops  tall, 

Nor  dapple  of  shade  in  woodland  reaches,  — 
Life  pulses  gladly  on  vale  and  hill, 
But  three  little  hearts  that  I  love  are  still,  — 
And  that  is  all. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  273 

What  lacks  the  summer? 

Oh,  light  and  savor, 

And  message  of  healing  the  world  above  ! 

Gone  is  the  old-time  strength  and  flavor, 

Gone  is  the  old-time  peace  and  love, 

Gone  is  the  bloom  of  the  shimmering  meadows, 

Music  of  birds  as  they  sweep  and  fall,  — 

All  the  great  world  is  dim  with  shadows, 

Because  no  longer  mine  eyes  can  see 
The  eyes  that  made  summer  and  life  for  me,  — 
And  that  is  all. 


The  later  development  of  Mrs.  Blake's  poetic  gift,  as  shown  in 
her  "  Wendell  Phillips,"  written  by  invitation  of  the  city  of  Boston  for 
his  memorial  in  1884;  "How  Ireland  Answered,"  and  "  Women  of 
the  Revolution,"  both  in  1885,  — reveal  splendid  strength  and  fervor. 
Mrs.  Blake  was  the  poet  of  the  Golden  Jubilee  celebration  of  the  Sis- 
ters of  Charity  in  1882,  and  of  the  Catholic  Union's  Festival  in 
honor  of  Pope  Pius  IX.  in  1873.  Here  is  a  poem  of  Mrs.  Blake's,  a 
favorite  at  Irish  patriotic  festivals,  reproduced  hundreds  of  times  in 
Irish  publications,  which  cannot  be  omitted  from  this  sketch.  She 
calls  it 

OUR  RECORD. 

Who  casts  a  slur  on  Irish  worth,  a  stain  on  Irish  fame? 
Who  dreads  to  own  his  Irish  blood,  or  wear  his  Irish  name? 
Who  scorns  the  warmth  of  Irish  hearts,  the  clasp  of  Irish  hands? 
Let  us  but  raise  the  veil  to-night  and  shame  him  as  he  stands. 

The  Irish  fame !     It  rests  enshrined  within  its  own  proud  light, 
Wherever  sword,  or  tongue,  or  pen  has  fashioned  deed  of  might ; 
From  battle-charge  of  Fontenoy  to  Grattan's  thunder  tone, 
It  holds  its  storied  past  on  high,  unrivalled  and  alone. 

The  Irish  blood  !    Its  crimson  tide  has  watered  hill  and  plain 
Wherever  there  were  wrongs  to  crush,  or  freeman's  rights  to  gain; 
No  dastard  thought,  no  coward  fear,  has  held  it  tamely  by 
When  there  were  noble  deeds  to  do,  or  noble  deaths  to  die ! 


274  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

The  Irish  heart !  the  Irish  heart !  God  keep  it  fair  and  free ; 
The  fulness  of  its  kindly  thought,  its  wealth  of  honest  glee, 
Its  generous  strength,  its  ardent  faith,  its  uncomplaining  trust, 
Though  every  worshipped  idol  breaks  and  crumbles  into  dust. 

And  Irish  hands,  —  aye,  lift  them  up,  embrowned  by  honest  toil, 
The  champions  of  our  Western  World,  the  guardians  of  the  soil! 
When  flashed  their  battle-swords  aloft,  a  waiting  world  might  see 
What  Irish  hands  could  do  and  dare  to  keep  a  nation  free. 

They  bore  our  starry  flag  above  through  bastion,  gate,  and  wall ; 
They  stood  before  the  foremost  rank,  the  bravest  of  them  all ; 
And  when  before  the  cannon's  mouth  they  held  the  foe  at  bay, 
Oh,  never  could  old  Ireland's  heart  beat  prouder  than  that  day! 

So  when  a  craven  fain  would  hide  the  birth-mark  of  his  race, 

Or  slightly  speak  of  Erin's  sons  before  her  children's  face, 

Breathe  no  weak  word  of  scorn  or  shame,  but  crush  him  where  he  stands 

With  Irish  worth  and  Irish  fame  as  won  by  Irish  hands. 

Mrs.  Blake's  prose  is  clear,  picturesque,  and  vivacious.  She 
is  a  favorite  contributor  both  of  prose  and  poetry  to  the  New 
York  "  Independent,"  "  Catholic  World,"  "  Ladies'  Home  Journal," 
of  Philadelphia,  "  Wide-Awake,"  "  St.  Nicholas."  Providence 
"  Journal,"  Chicago  "  Herald,"  and  other  publications.  Her  pub- 
lished works  include:  "Poems,"  Houghton,  Mifflin,  &  Co.,  1882; 
"  On  the  Wing,"  Lee,  Shepard,  &  Co.,  the  outcome  of  a  tour  to 
California,  1883;  "The  Merry  Months  All,"  1885;  "Youth  in 
Twelve  Centuries,"  D.  Lothrop  &  Co.,  1886,  —  the  two  last-named 
are  children's  poems;  "Mexico:  Picturesque,  Political,  Progres- 
sive," Lee,  Shepard,  &  Co.,  1888,  which  she  wrote  in  conjunction 
with  Mrs.  Margaret  F.  Sullivan,  of  Chicago,  after  a  sojourn  in 
our  neighbor  republic  which  they  made  together.  With  this 
same  devoted  friend  Mrs.  Blake  is,  at  present  writing,  making  a 
five  months'  tour  of  Europe. 

Mrs.  Blake's  well-ordered  and  happy  home  is  a  standing 
refutation  of  the  absurd  old  notion  that  a  woman  of  letters  is 
of  necessity  a  failure  in  the  higher  office  of  wife  and  mother.  In 
place  of  the  portrait,  which  the  editor  of  this  volume  regrets  to 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  275 

have  been  unable  to  secure,  the  following  pen-picture  of  Mrs. 
Blake,  from  the  faithful  and  tender  hand  of  her  friend  above- 
named,  is  given:  — 

"  Here  is  a  face  that  one  must  linger  on,  pale  but  healthful,  with 
a  pair  of  brown  riddles  for  eyes,  the  love  in  them  chasing  the  laughter, 
and  both  love  and  laughter  very  deep  in  their  liquid  depths.  Keen 
sensibility  beneath  habitual  reserve,  internal  heat  and  exterior  fri- 
gidity, humor  that  must  be  rollicking  when  relaxed,  and  imagination 
that  must  be  superb  when  freed  from  restraint.  The  studious  ex- 
pression bespeaks  power  of  concentration ;  the  quick  flashes  of  sensi- 
bility betray  the  hidden  vivacity,  and  there  is  a  deft  mingling  of 
gravity,  satire,  and  levity  on  the  face  that  would  have  made  one  ask 
who  the  lady  is." 

Our  sketch  fitly  closes  with  this  poem,  one  of  the  best  Mrs. 
Blake  ever  wrote :  — 

HOW   IRELAND   ANSWERED. 

A   TRADITION   OF   THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION. 

Wheresoe'er  in  song  or  story- 
Runs  one  theme  of  ancient  glory, 

Wheresoe'er  in  word  or  action  lives  one  spark  for  Freedom's  shrine, 
Read  it  out  before  the  people, 
Ring  it  loud  in  street  and  steeple, 

Till  the  hearts  of  those  who  listen  thrill  beneath  its  power  divine ! 

And,  as  lives  immortal,  gracious, 

The  great  deed  of  young  Horatius, 
Or  that  gauntlet  of  defiance  flung  by  Tell  in  Gessler's  face, 

So  for  him  who  claims  as  sireland 

The  green  hills  of  holy  Ireland, 
Let  the  speech  of  old  John  Parnell  speak  its  lesson  to  his  race. 

•  •  •  •  •  »  • 

'  Twas  in  days  when,  sore  tormenting, 

With  a  malice  unrelenting, 
England  pushed  her  youngest  step-child  past  endurance  into  strife, 

'Til  with  weak,  frail  hands  uplifted  — 

With  but  hate  and  courage  gifted  — 
She  began  the  desperate  struggle  that  should  end  in  death  —  or  life. 


276  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

'Twas  the  fourth  long  year  of  fighting ; 

Want  and  woe  and  famine,  biting, 
Nipped  the  heart-strings  of  "  the  Rebels,"  chilled  their  pulse  with  cold  despair; 

Southern  swamp  and  Northern  mountain 

Fed  full  streams  to  war's  red  fountain, 
And  the  gloom  of  hopeless  struggle  darkened  all  the  heavy  air. 

Lincoln's  troops  in  wild  disorder, 

Beaten  on  the  Georgian  border ; 
Fivescore  craft,  off  Norfolk  harbor,  scuttled  deep  beneath  the  tide  { 

Hessian  thieves,  in  swaggering  sallies, 

Raiding  fair  New  England  valleys  ; 
While  before  Savannah's  trenches  brave  Pulaski,  fighting,  died ! 

Indian  allies  war-whoops  raising, 

Where  Wyoming's  roofs  are  blazing  ; 
Clinton,  full  of  pomp  and  bluster,  sailing  down  on  Charleston ; 

And  the  people,  faint  with  striving, 

Worn  with  aimless,  sad  contriving, 
Tired  at  last  of  Freedom's  battle,  heedless  if  'tis  lost  or  won ! 

Shall  now  England  pause  in  mercy, 

When  the  frozen  plains  of  Jersey, 
Tracked  with  blood,  show  pathways  trodden  by  bare  feet  of  wounded  men? 

When  the  drained  and  tortured  nation 

Holds  no  longer  gold  or  ration 
To  upbuild  her  broken  fortune,  or  to  fill  her  veins  again? 

Nay !  but  striking  swift  and  surely, 

Now  to  gain  the  end  securely, 
Stirring  asks  for  reinforcements  —  volunteers  to  speed  the  cause; 

And  King  George,  in  mandate  royal, 

Speeds  amid  his  subjects  loyal, 
Calls  for  dutiful  assistance  to  avenge  his  outraged  laws. 

In  the  name  of  law  and  order, 

Sends  across  the  Irish  border 
To  the  wild  and  reckless  spirits  of  whose  daring  well  he  knows : 

"  Ho !  brave  fools  who  fight  for  pleasure ! 

Here  is  chance  for  fame  and  treasure ; 
Teach  those  brazen  Yankee  devils  the  full  force  of  Irish  blows ! " 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  277 

Old  John  Parnell,  cool  and  quiet,  — 

Strange  result  on  Celtic  diet,  — 
Colonel  he  of  volunteers,  and  well-beloved  chief  of  men, 

Reads  the  royal  proclamation, 

Answers  for  himself  and  nation  — 
Ye  who  heed  the  voice  of  honor,  list  the  ringing  words  again :  • 

"  Still,  as  in  her  ancient  story, 

Ireland  fights  for  right  and  glory ; 
Still  her  sons,  through  blood  and  danger,  hold  unstained  their  old  renown ; 

But  by  God  who  reigneth  o'er  me, 

By  the  Motherland  that  bore  me, 
Never  Irish  gold  or  valor  helps  to  strike  a  patriot  down ! " 

•  •••••• 

Thus,  'mid  themes  immortal,  gracious, 

Like  the  deed  of  young  Horatius, 
Or  that  gauntlet  of  defiance  flung  by  Tell  in  Gessler's  face, 

Let  the  Celt  who  claims  as  sireland 

The  green  hills  of  holy  Ireland, 
Place  the  speech  of  old  John  Parnell,  for  the  glory  of  his  race. 


KATHERINE    ELEANOR    CONWAY. 

Katherine  Eleanor  Conway  was  born  in  Rochester,  N.Y.,  of  Irish 
parents.  Her  father  was  a  bridge-builder  and  railroad  contractor, 
and  active  in  the  politics  of  his  city  and  State.  Her  mother  was  a 
home-keeper  and  book-lover,  and  the  environment  of  the  childhood 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  eminently  conducive  to  early  mental 
development  and  intelligent  interest  in  public  affairs. 

She  studied  successively  in  the  schools  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity 
and  the  Nuns  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  in  her  native  city,  completing  her 
course  at  St.  Mary's  Academy,  Buffalo,  N.Y.  One  of  her  teacher? 
in  this  last-named  school  was  an  English  lady,  a  convert,  who  had" 
come  into  the  Church  on  the  high  tide  of  the  Tractarian  movement. 
She  was  a  singularly  gifted  woman,  accomplished,  earnest,  who 
had  known  personally  many  of  the  famous  people  of  the  Dickens- 
Thackeray  era ;  and  the  glimpses  she  gave  her  young  pupil  into  that 
golden   time   was    a   not-to-be-forgotten   delight.      She  encouraged 


278  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

Katherine  to  write,  —  indeed,  her  first  published  work  (1868)  was 
done  in  school,  when  she  was  about  fifteen  years  of  age. 

For  several  years  thereafter  she  did  reportorial  work,  verses, 
sketches,  etc.,  for  the  Rochester  "  Daily  Union,"  and  correspondence 
for  several  New  York  papers.  All  this  was  more  in  the  line  of  in- 
stinctive out-reaching,  than  the  expression  of  any  definite  plan  or 
purpose.  She  found  at  this  time  a  judicious  and  helpful  friend  in 
Bishop  M'Quaid,  of  Rochester,  who,  noting  the  aspiration,  rather 
than  the  accomplishment,  in  some  of  the  young  girl's  published  work, 
opened  his  library  to  her,  and  by  practical  direction  and  suggestion 
greatly  influenced  the  development  of  her  aptitudes  and  the  deter- 
mination of  her  life-work. 

From  1873-78  she  edited  in  Rochester  a  little  Catholic  maga- 
zine, the  "  West  End  Journal."  Serious  family  reverses  occurring 
between  these  dates  threw  her  on  her  own  resources,  and  her  ready 
pen  became  by  degrees  a  source  of  revenue.  She  was  for  several 
years  teacher  of  rhetoric  and  literature  in  the  Normal  School  of 
Nazareth  Convent,  Rochester,  and  a  contributor  of  short  stories  to 
the  Philadelphia  "  Catholic  Record  "  and  various  New  York  story 
papers  and  magazines. 

From  1878  till  1883  — with  one  short  break  —  she  was  assistant 
editor  on  the  "  Catholic  Union  and  Times,"  of  Buffalo,  N.Y.  In 
1883  she  accepted  a  position  on  the  editorial  staff  of  "The  Pilot," 
of  Boston,  where  she  has  since  remained. 

Her  purely  literary  work  includes  a  volume  of  poems,  "  On  the 
Sunrise  Slope,"  brought  out  by  the  Catholic  Publication  Society 
Company,  of  New  York,  in  1881,  and  quite  successful.  In  1886 
she  edited  for  Mrs.  Clara  Erskine  Clement,  the  art  writer,  "  Christian 
Symbols  and  Stories  of  the  Saints,"  published  by  Ticknor  &  Co.,  of 
Boston.  This  work  has  gone  through  several  editions,  winning  warm 
approval  from  high  Catholic  authorities,  and  a  recognition  of  marked 
and  unusual  kindness  even  from  Pope  Leo  XIII.,  to  whom  a  copy 
was  presented  near  the  time  of  his  Golden  Jubilee. 

Miss  Conway  has  contributed  literary  criticisms,  personal 
sketches,  etc.,  to  the  Providence  "  Journal,"  Buffalo  "  Courier,"  and 


'irWiS    UlAAtlAJ 


ifoi  (JJAiiiMh-  ymiw 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  279 

other  papers,  besides  doing  much  anonymous  work  in  the  way  of 
book  editing  and  compiling.  In  journalism  she  is  accounted  an 
adaptable  and  persistent  worker.  J.  W.  De  Forest,  the  novelist  and 
poet,  says  of  her  poems,  that  they  are  all  marked  by  refreshing 
earnestness  and  sincerity;  and  not  a  few  of  them  by  wonderful 
passion,  energy,  and  condensation. 

Miss  Conway  was  the  first  Catholic  to  address  the  Women's 
Educational  and  Industrial  Union,  of  Boston,  —  a  society,  non-secta- 
rian, it  is  true,  but  with  a  membership  almost  entirely  Protestant.  In- 
vited a  year  ago  to  prepare  a  paper  on  a  distinctly  Catholic  theme, 
she  chose  "  The  Blessed  Among  Women,"  setting  forth  to  her  hearers 
the  place  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  in  the  Catholic  Church,  the  grounds 
of  Catholic  devotion  to  her,  her  influence  on  the  elevation  of  woman- 
hood, on  poetry,  art,  music.  The  paper  was  exceedingly  well 
received,  and  attracted  general  attention,  at  the  time,  for  the  novelty 
of  the  attendant  circumstances.  Later,  the  same  society  invited  Miss 
Conway  to  address  them  again,  and,  under  the  head  of  "  Some 
Christian  Ideas,"  to  explain  the  Catholic  understanding  of  the  Church 
Idea.  This  paper  was  even  more  widely  noticed  than  the  preceding 
one,  and  the  author  was  requested  to  repeat  it  before  several  societies, 
both  Catholic  and  non-Catholic.  A  new  paper,  "  The  Ideals  of 
Christian  Womanhood,"  written  for  the  Boston  Catholic  Union,  has 
been  engaged  also  for  several  other  associations. 

Miss  Conway  is  a  member  of  the  executive  council  of  the  New 
England  Woman's  Press  Club,  and  chairman  of  its  literary  committee. 

She  is  not  more  remarkable  for  her  mental  qualities  than  for 
their  large  balance  and  proportion.  Her  poetic  gift,  inborn  and 
dominant,  leaves  her  no  less  a  woman  of  action,  a  natural  helper,  a 
publicist,  —  one  with  whom  all  clan  feelings  are  intense,  and  in  whom 
no  outer  sympathy  is  lacking.  With  her  habits  of  consistency  and 
justice,  her  perfect  temper,  her  zealous,  aggressive  pen,  she  has  one 
distinct  Grecian  trait,  —  the  love  for  organization,  and  the  personality 
which  fits  it  and  succeeds  best  through  it.  During  her  few  journal- 
istic years  in  Boston  she  has  made  herself  a  place,  special,  and  yet 
markedly  representative,  and  has  worked,  with  gracious  modesty,  for 


280  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

every  good  cause  within  reach.  Though  Miss  Conway  is  too  busy 
to  delight  us  often  with  her  thoughtful  and  thrilling  poetry,  yet  she 
is  very  blessed  in  "  a  deedful  life,"  incapable  of  any  but  the  highest 
and  gentlest  ideals,  and  which,  in  itself,  makes  an  eloquence  and  a 
music  of  every  day. 

The  appended  poem  is  fairly  representative :  — 

OUT  OF  THE   SHADOW  OF  DEATH. 
Ireland,  1800-1885. 

"She  died  from  you,"  they  said,  "in  the  flush  of  her  bridal  bloom.1' 
But  they  lied  with  their  hearts  and  lips  —  beloved,  thou  could'st  not  die ! 

They  lured  thee  out  of  my  arms,  and  shut  thee  alive  in  the  tomb, 
And  guarded  with  fire  and  sword  the  place  of  thine  agony. 

And  they  laughed  but  yester-eve,  in  their  cruel  strength  and  scorn, 

Saying,  "Still  through  the  years  he  seeks  her  —  O  fondest,  faithfullest ! 

And  still  are  fools  to  follow  his  beck  on  a  hope  forlorn, 
And  never  a  one  a-weary  —  and  oh,  the  idle  quest ! " 

Did  they  dream  their  swords  could  sunder  the  bonds  of  soul  to  soul? 

Or  that  flames  could  daunt  my  purpose,  though  lit  from  the  central  Hell? 
Ah,  they  thought  I  grieved  like  a  man  —  that  time  would  ease  my  dole, 

With  a  new  fair  face  forgetting  what  late  I  loved  so  well ! 

They  knew  me  not  —  changeless,  deathless,  what  time  with  heart  grief  riven, 

For  thee  in  mortal  seeming  the  paths  of  pain  I  trod  — 
But  I  am  Freedom  —  Freedom  —  and  I've  stood  in  the  highest  heaven, 

With  the  seven  armored  angels  who  guard  the  throne  of  God. 

Courage,  mine  own,  nor  falter,  but  hold  for  thy  life  to  me  — 

Look  not  back  where  the  flames  and  the  swords  and  the  serpents  were  — 

Look  up !     for  yon  stars  are  the  souls  of  the  men  who  died  for  thee, 
Crushed  under  the  stone  they  would  roll  from  the  door  of  thy  sepulchre. 

Ah,  me!  but  thy  face  is  wan,  and  thy  sweet  eyes  dimmed  with  tears, 
And  the  soul  on  thy  pale  lips  flutters  as  if  it  were  fain  to  flee  — 

Ah,  God!  for  thy  years  of  waiting  —  thy  tortured,  murdered  years  — 
Ere  I  rent  thy  tomb  and  fled  through  the  Valley  of  Death  with  thee! 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  281 

But  oh !  for  our  journey's  end,  and  home,  and  the  light  of  dawn, 
And  the  sweet  green  earth,  the  bird-singing,  the  balm  of  the  soft  sea  air — 

Oh,  to  hold  thee  close  to  my  heart  till  the  chill  of  the  grave  is  gone, 
And  kiss  thy  lips  and  thy  hands  and  the  strands  of  thy  long  fair  hair ! 

Courage,  mine  own,  nor  falter,  but  cling  for  thy  life  to  me  — 
Hear  the  home-welcoming  music,  nor  faint  nor  far  away  — 

And  the  conquering  Cross  ablaze  in  the  heavens  above  us  —  see! 
We  are  out  of  the  Shadow  of  Death  —  but  one  step  more  to  the  day ! 


MARY     CATHERINE     CROWLEY. 

Mary  Catherine  Crowley  is  a  native  of  Boston,  and  of  a  family 
prominent  in  its  early  and  later  Irish  Catholic  history.  On  her  moth- 
er's side  she  is  descended  from  the  historic  Scotch  family  of  Cameron, 
of  Lochiel  and  Lundavra.  Miss  Crowley's  early  education  was  con- 
ducted at  home.  Later  she  attended  the  Academy  of  Notre  Dame, 
Roxbury,  Mass.,  and  finally  made  the  full  course  at  the  Academy 
of  the  Sacred  Heart,  Manhattanville,  where  her  mother  and  aunts 
had  also  been  educated. 

Miss  Crowley's  literary  career  began  about  four  years  ago. 
She  was  fortunate  in  reaching  her  public  at  once  through  excellent 
mediums.  We  find  her  early  work  in  the  "  Catholic  World,"  the 
"  Pilot,"  and  the  "  Wide  Awake."  She  figures  also  in  that  rather 
famous  nursery  of  young  talent,  Father  Russell's  "  Irish  Monthly," 
and  is  a  contributor  of  short  stories  to  the  "  M'Clure  Syndicate." 
Still  later  she  appears  in  the  "  St.  Nicholas,"  the  "  Ave  Maria,"  the 
"Ladies'  Home  Journal,"  of  Philadelphia,  as  an  occasional  corre- 
spondent of  the  New  York  "  Freeman,"  and  other  Catholic  publica- 
tions. Her  poems  are  graceful  and  musical,  her  prose  sketches  and 
stories  sprightly  and  delicate,  while  certain  of  her  frequent  anony- 
mous contributions  to  the  Boston  press  on  household,  social,  and 
educational  topics  reveal  real  thought,  sound  sense,  and  breadth  of 
mind,  and  a  capacity  for  terse  and  direct  expression. 

It  is,  however,  as  a  writer  of  children's  stories  that  Miss  Crowley 
seems  thus  far  destined  to  make  her  highest  reputation.     There  is 


282  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTOX. 

a  superstition  that  any  woman  who  can  write  at  all  ought  to  be  able 
to  write  acceptably  for  children.  Few  realize  that  those  characters 
are  rare  indeed  that  attain  womanhood  keeping  the  fragrance  of 
their  childhood  still  about  them,  and  holding  the  clue  whereby  they 
can  wander  back  at  will  to  the  lovely,  innocent  world  of  the  child-heart. 
Miss  Crowley  is  one  of  the  fortunate  few.  Her  first  ventures,  begun 
little  more  than  a  year  ago  in  the  line  of  stories  from  real  life  for 
children  of  to-day,  were  immediately  successful.  In  response  to  a 
widely  expressed  demand,  she  gathered  a  few  of  these  together  from 
the  pages  of  the  "Ave  Maria"  and  the  "Ladies'  Home  Journal," 
and  issued  them  in  book  form,  under  the  title  of  "  Mem-  Hearts  and 
True,"  from  the  press  of  D.  &  J.  Sadlier  &  Co.,  New  York  City. 
This  charming  little  book  had  the  unusual  good  fortune  to  go  into 
its  second  edition  the  week  it  was  published.  Miss  Crowley  is  at 
work  on  another  volume  of  short  stories,  which  will  probably  be 
ready  for  the  Christmas  holidays.  There  is  evidently  a  very  success- 
ful career  before  her  in  a  department  of  literature  where  compara- 
tively few  succeed. 

Miss  Crowley  is  well  versed  in  French,  Spanish,  and  German ; 
is  a  brilliant  musician,  and  gifted  with  all  in  character  and  acquire- 
ment that  makes  a  woman  attractive  in  home-life  and  society. 

K..  E.  C. 


■     ■ 


..'■] 


Vviii 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES 


OF 


BOSTON    LAWYERS. 


SKETCHES    OF    BOSTON    LAWYERS. 


Aherin,  John  H.  P.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Boston,  April  n,  1858.  He  was  educated 
at  St.  Mary's  Parochial  School,  graduated  in 
1872,  and  was  employed  as  clerk  in  the  office 
of  the  Registry  of  Deeds  until  1877.  He 
studied  law  in  the  office  of  Mr.  F.  W.  Kit- 
tredge,  and  later  became  the  conveyancer  of 
Messrs.  Crowley  &  Maxwell,  with  whom  he 
remained  until  October,  1885,  when  he  en- 
tered the  Boston  University  Law  School. 
He  graduated  in  1886,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  Suffolk  bar  in  June  of  the  same  year, 
and  afterwards  established  himself  in  prac- 
tice. 

Barlow,  James  P.,  lawyer,  born  in  North 
Easton,  Mass.,  Feb.  22,  1863.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  that  town,  and 
was  a  graduate  of  the  North  Easton  High 
School,  June  28,  1879,  and  the  Boston  Uni- 
versity Law  School,  May  28,  1886.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  July  20,  1886,  and  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Boston,  July, 
1887.  He  ranks  among  the  very  young  but 
promising  lawyers  in  this  vicinity. 

Barry,  Thomas  J.,  lawyer,  born  in  South 
Boston,  January  1,  1857.  He  graduated 
from  the  Lawrence  Grammar  School  in 
1869,  and  the  English  High  School  in  1873. 
He  attended  Comer's  Commercial  College 
and  Holy  Cross  College.  He  afterwards 
received  a  special  course  of  two  years  at  the 
Boston  Latin  School,  and  a  classical  course 
of  one  year  at  the  Chauncy  Hall  School. 
He  graduated  at  the  Harvard  Law  School 
in  1881,  with  the  degree  of  LL.B.  He 
subsequently  studied  law  in  a  supplementary 
way,  in  the  office  of  J.  M.  Baker,  and  was 


admitted  to  the  bar  in  January,  1882.  He 
has  been  actively  engaged  in  politics  since 
1884.  He  was  counsel  for  the  Journeymen 
Tailors  at  the  time  of  the  strike  at  Somer's 
store,  obtaining  for  them  the  right  to  have 
delegates  walk  the  street  in  front  of  the  es- 
tablishment without  causing  an  obstruction. 
Since  1883  he  has  been  attorney  and  secre- 
tary of  the  Warm  Springs  Consolidated 
Mining  Co.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  of 
the  Canton  Manufacturing  Co.  During  the 
school  season,  since  1 881,  he  has  filled  the 
position  of  secretary  of  the  Evening  High 
School,  of  Boston.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Charitable  Irish  Society,  Clover  Club,  and 
Democratic  City  Committee,  of  Boston.  He 
is,  at  present,  the  president  of  the  latter 
organization,  having  been  elected  in  1887. 

Burke,  John  H.,  lawyer,  born  in  Chelsea, 
Mass.,  September  6,  1856.  He  graduated 
at  the  Bigelow  Grammar  School,  South  Bos- 
ton, attended  Boston  College,  and  graduated 
from  the  Boston  University  Law  School  in 
1878,  receiving  the  degree  of  LL.B.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  Suffolk  County  bar  in 
September,  1878.  He  practised  law  on  his 
own  account  for  five  years,  in  the  office  of 
Hon.  P.  A.  Collins,  when,  in  1883,  he  became 
a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Collins,  Burke, 
&  Griffin.  He  had  entire  management  of 
the  legal  business  of  the  office  during  Mr. 
Collins's  terms  in  Congress.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Montgomery  Light  Guard  Veteran 
Association,  and  was  recently  elected  the 
president  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society. 

Byrne,  Patrick  Henry,  lawyer,  born  in 
Lavagh,  County  Roscommon,  Ireland,  Feb. 


(285) 


286 


THE    IRISH    I.V    BOSTON. 


5,  1844,  died  at  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  N.Y., 
July  31,  1SS1,  aged  thirty-seven  years  five 
months  and  twenty-six  days.  He  came  to 
this  country  with  his  widowed  mother  when 
about  five  years  old,  and  received  his  primary 
and  academic  education  in  the  schools  of 
New  York  City  and  at  the  University  of  New 
York. 

He  was  employed  by  his  uncle,  Mr. 
H.  Brennan,  at  the  marble-worker's  trade. 
He  subsequently  abandoned  the  business, 
however,  and  accepted  a  position  as  travel- 
ling salesman  for  a  wholesale  woollen  house 
in  Boston.  He  eventually  became  the  senior 
member  of  the  collection  agency  firm  of 
Byrne,  Everett,  &  Co.,  9  Pemberton  square, 
but  later  disposed  of  his  interest  there  and 
removed  to  New  York  City,  where  he  estab- 
lished the  same  business  on  a  far  more  ex- 
tensive and  systematic  plan,  with  headquar- 
ters in  the  Bennett  Building  of  that  city.  In 
addition  to  his  business  activity  he  also  at- 
tended the  law  school  of  the  University  of 
New  York,  from  which  institution  he  received 
his  diploma  in  1875,  and  was  soon  afterward 
admitted  to  practice  as  an  attorney- at-law. 
To  the  ambitious  young  man  the  law  was 
his  aim  and  life-work,  and  he  devoted  himself 
entirely  to  its  extended  study  and  practice, 
with  an  office  at  67  Wall  street.  He  acquired  a 
prominent  and  promising  reputation  as  a  law- 
yer for  one  of  his  age,  and  his  intelligence, 
geniality,  and  correct  habits  always  won  for 
him  the  admiration  of  his  many  friends. 
During  his  legal  practice  he  was  retained  in 
a  number  of  important  cases_  involving  large 
interests,  and  by  his  ability  as  a  counsel  and 
advocate  his  clients  were  always  ably  repre- 
sented. He  was  also  associated  in  the 
manufacture  of  patent  gas-fixtures  at  Mor- 
risana.     He  left  a  wife  and  four  children. 

Canavan,  Michael  J.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Somerville,  Mass.,  resides  in  Lexington, 
Mass.  He  graduated  at  the  Somerville  High 
School  in  1867,  and  later  entered  Harvard 
University,  where  he  was  graduated  cum 
laude.  In  1 87 1  he  had  the  degree  of  A.B. 
conferred    upon   him   at   Harvard,    and   he 


afterwards  went  to  Germany,  where,  from 
1S71  to  1873,  he  spent  much  time  at  the 
University  of  Gottingen.  On  his  return  to 
this  country  he  reentered  Harvard  Univer- 
sity and  distinguished  himself.  He  received 
the  degree  of  LL.B.  in  1876,  and  A.M.  in 
the  same  year.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the 
Somerville  Public  Library,  and  is  independent 
in  politics.  He  is  actively  engaged  in  ma- 
nipulating and  dealing  in  Western  invest- 
ments, lands,  and  mortgages. 

Casey,  John  H.,  lawyer,  born  in  Somer- 
ville, Mass.,  Dec.  7,  i860.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Somerville,  and  re- 
moved to  Boston  in  1880,  where  he  attended 
the  Boston  University  Law  School.  He 
studied  law  also  in  the  office  of  Stearns  & 
Butler,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Suffolk  bar 
in  December,  1884.  After  practising  law  for 
a  few  years  in  this  city,  on  Jan.  1,  1888,  he 
accepted  a  position  as  clerk  to  the  District 
Attorney  of  Suffolk  County.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  Society  of  Good  Fellows. 

Cassidy,  William  E.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Boston  in  1856.  He  graduated  at  the  Law- 
rence Grammar  School  and  the  Boston 
University  Law  School.  Since  his  admission 
to  the  bar  he  has  practised  law  in  Boston, 
and  during  i8S4-'85-'S6  was  a  commissioner 
of  insolvency. 

Collins,  John  A.,  lawyer,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, February  29,  i860.  He  graduated  at 
the  Lincoln  Grammar  School  and  the  English 
High  School,  attended  the  law  schools  of  both 
Harvard  College  and  Boston  University,  and 
received  the  degree  of  LL.B.  from  the  latter. 
He  began  the  practice  of  law  in  Boston  in 
1883.  He  M'as  elected  to  the  Massachusetts 
House  of  Representatives  of  1SS5,  and  again 
of  1S86,  and  during  his  second  term  was  the 
youngest  member  of  that  body.  He  repre- 
sented South  Boston  in  the  Senate  of  iSSS, 
and  was  also  honored  with  being  the  young- 
est member  of  the  upper  branch  of  the  Leg- 
islature. He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Democratic  City  Central  Committee  for  three 


BIO  GRAPHIC  A I   SKE  TCIIES. 


287 


years,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Executive 
Committee.  He  is  president  of  the  local 
conference  of  the  Society  of  St.  Vincent 
de  Paul. 

Collins,  John  J.,  lawyer,  born  in  Boston, 
Aug.  28,  1862.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  this  city,  and  at  Holy  Cross 
College,  Worcester,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1884.  He  afterward  studied  law  at 
the  Boston  University  Law '  School,  grad- 
uated, and  was  admitted  to  the  Suffolk  bar  in 
1886.  He  is  located  in  the  office  of  Hon.  P. 
A.  Collins. 

Collins,  Mark  C,  lawyer,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, September  24,  1849.  He  attended  the 
public  schools;  graduated  from  the  Boston 
University  Law  School  in  1879,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  the  following  year.  He 
has  since  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
the  legal  profession  in  this  city. 

Collison,  Harvey  N,  lawyer,  born  in 
Boston,  March  22,  i860.  He  attended  the 
Boston  public  schools ;  graduated  at  Harvard 
College  in  1 881;  graduated  from  the  Boston 
University  Law  School  in  1884,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Suffolk  County  bar  the  same 
year.  He  represented  Ward  6  in  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  iS83-'84-'85, and  in  the  Legis- 
lature of  i887-'S8,  serving  on  the  committees 
on  Election  Laws,  Probate,  and  Insolvency. 
In  1887  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Bos- 
ton School  Committee;  is  a  Director  of  East 
Boston  Ferries,  a  member  of  the  Irish  Char- 
itable Society,  the  Democratic  Ward  and  City 
Committee,  and  Vice-President  of  the  Young 
Men's  Democratic  Club  of  Massachusetts. 

Coogan,  Michael  B.,  lawyer,  born  in 
New  Bedford,  Mass.,  March  21,  1858.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Provi- 
dence, R.I.,  and  the  Phillips  Grammar  School, 
Boston.  He  subsequently  studied  law  in  the 
office  of  Hon.  Owen  A.  Galvin,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Suffolk  County  bar,  July  10, 1883. 
He  was  appointed  clerk  in  the  office  of  the 
United  States  Marshal  by  Gen.  N.  P.  Banks, 


Aug.  8,  1887,  and  served  in  that  capacity 
until  July  7,  1888,  when  he  was  commissioned 
as  a  United  States  Secret  Service  Agent,  in 
charge  of  the  New  England  District,  with 
headquarters  at  Room  132  Post-Office  Build- 
ing, Boston.  He  was  secretary  of  the  Demo- 
cratic City  Committee  of  Cambridge  in  18S6- 
89;  and  is  a  member  of  St.  John's  Court 
No.  33,  Massachusetts  Catholic  Order  of 
Foresters,  and  Anchor  Assembly  30,  Royal 
Society  of  Good  Fellows. 

Cooney,  Patrick  H.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Stockbridge,  Mass.,  Dec.  20,  1845.  He  was 
educated  in  the  Natick  High  School  and 
West  Newton  English  and  Classical  School. 
He  subsequently  studied  law.  He  has  been 
Assistant  District  Attorney  for  Middlesex 
County  since  Jan.  1,  1880,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  School  Committee  of  Natick  for 
four  years,  from  March,  1880.  He  has  a  law 
office  in  Boston,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Algonquin  Club  and  Meridian  Lodge  of 
Masons,  Natick. 

Cotter,  James  E.,  lawyer,  born  in  County 
Cork,  Ireland,  in  1848.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Marlboro'  and  the 
State  Normal  School  of  Bridgewater;  began 
studying  law  August  28,  1871,  with  William 
B.  Gale,  at  Marlboro',  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  at  Cambridge,  January  2,  1874. 
Five  days  later  he  removed  to  Hyde  Park, 
Mass.  Since  that  period  he  has  practised  law 
in  Norfolk  and  Suffolk  counties.  He  was 
chairman  of  Registrars  of  Voters  of  Hyde 
Park  in  1884-85 ;  member  of  the  School  Com- 
mittee for  five  years,  beginning  March,  1886; 
he  served  as  Chairman  of  the  Board  in  1888, 
and  declined  a  renomination,  although  ear- 
nestly urged  to  accept  by  the  citizens  of  the 
town,  even  those  who  differed  with  him  po- 
litically; town  counsel  for  Hyde  Park  from 
1878  to  1889,  and  for  Walpole  since  1886. 
He  was  the  Democratic  nominee  for  district 
attorney  for  the  south-eastern  district,  com- 
prising Norfolk  and  Plymouth  counties,  in 
1874,  and  again  in  1877;  a  candidate  for 
Presidential  Elector  on  the  Democratic  ticket 


2S8 


THE   IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


in  1884,  receiving  122,000  votes;  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Norfolk  and  Suffolk  bar  as- 
sociations, of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society, 
and  the  Massachusetts  Order  of  Foresters. 

Courtney,  William  F.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Lowell,  Mass.,  Dec.  10,  1855.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Lowell,  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Lowell  Commercial  College 
and  the  Harvard  Law  School  of  1878.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  July  8,  1878,  and 
practised  the  legal  profession  in  his  native 
city.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature 
in  1882.  In  1886  he  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  Isaac  S.  Morse,  for  the  practice 
of  law  in  Boston.  During  1887  he  acted  as 
City  Solicitor  for  Lowell.  He  was  engaged 
as  counsel  for  the  defendant  in  the  case  of 
Commonwealth  vs.  Howe.  This  was  a  case 
of  alleged  ballot-stuffing  on  the  license  ques- 
tion. In  the  lower  court  his  client  was  con- 
victed, but  the  case  was  carried  to  the  Supreme 
Court,  on  the  ground  that  there  was  no  law 
to  punish  it,  and  the  point  was  sustained. 
In  view  of  this  oversight,  the  Governor  of 
Massachusetts  sent  a  special  message  to  the 
Legislature  relative  to  the  matter,  and  in 
1887  the  present  law  covering  such  cases 
was  enacted. 

Creed,  Michael  J.,  lawyer,  born  in  South 
Boston,  Aug.  28,  1856.  He  graduated  at 
the  Bigelow  Grammar  School  in  1869;  at- 
tended the  English  High  School;  took  a 
special  classical  course;  graduated  at  Bos- 
ton University  Law  School  in  1S79,  receiving 
the  degree  of  LL.B.,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  shortly  afterwards.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  of  1 884-' 85-' 86;  is  on  the 
Finance  Committee  of  the  Democratic  City 
Central  Committee,  1889,  and  a  Commis- 
sioner of  Insolvency  for  Suffolk  County. 

Cronan,  John  F.,  lawyer,  born  in  Boston, 
April  9,  1856.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  and  the  English  High  School;  gradu- 
ated at  the  Boston  University  Law  School  in 
1879.  He  supplemented  his  legal  studies  in 
the  office  of  F.  A.  Perry,  and  was  admitted 


to  the  Suffolk  bar  when  only  twenty-three 
years  of  age.  In  1876  he  delivered  a  number 
of  campaign  speeches  for  Samuel  J.  Tilden, 
also  for  General  Butler  in  the  State  campaign 
of  1878.  He  is  one  of  the  prominent  young 
Democrats,  and  has  resided  in  South  Boston 
for  a  number  of  years. 

Cronin,  Cornelius  F.,  lawyer,  born  in 
South  Boston,  April  9,  1856.  He  attended 
the  public  schools,  French's  Commercial 
College,  and  graduated  from  the  Boston 
University  Law  School  in  1S79;  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  the  same  year.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Ward  13 
in  i88i-'82-'83;  represented  the  Fifth  Suf- 
folk District  in  the  Senate  of  18S4;  the 
candidate  of  the  Democratic  party  for  City 
Solicitor  of  Boston  in  18S5,  but  was  defeated 
by  five  votes;  is  a  member  of  the  Mechanic 
Apprentice's  Association  and  the  South  Bos- 
ton Young  Men's  Catholic  Association. 

Cronin,  Cornelius  F.,  lawyer,  born  in  the 
County  Cork,  Ireland,  July  25,  1851.  He  came 
to  this  country  when  but  a  few  years  old,  and 
located  in  Boston.  He  graduated  at  the 
Dwight  School  (Franklin  medal  scholar) 
and  the  Boston  University  Law  School, 
where  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.B. 
After  leaving  the  grammar  school  he  en- 
gaged for  a  time  in  the  junk  business,  and 
travelled  considerably  through  the  United 
States  and  Canada.  Upon  his  return  to 
this  city  he  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Wm. 
C.  Greene,  afterward  with  Messrs.  Gargan, 
Swasey,  &  Adams,  supplemented  his  legal 
studies  at  the  Law  School,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1878.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature  in  1881— 
'82-83,  and  the  State  Senate  during  18S4. 
He  has  been  a  resident  of  South  Boston  for 
several  years,  but  is  at  present  located  in  Los 
Angeles,  Cal. 

Dacey,  Timothy  J.,  born  in  Boston  on 
the  nth  of  October,  1849;  died  Dec.  15, 
18S7.  His  parents  came  to  this  country 
from   Ireland  about  fifty-five  years  ago.     His 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


289 


father,  John  Dacey,  afterwards  took  an  active 
part  in  municipal  affairs,  serving  in  the 
Common  Council  in  i860  and  1S61,  and  was 
elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1S63  and  the  year  following.  Young 
Dacey  was  a  graduate  of  the  Eliot  Grammar 
School,  receiving  a  Franklin  medal  in  1863. 
He  passed  through  the  English  High  School, 
and  completed  his  education  at  Holy  Cross 
College,  Worcester.  He  subsequently  be- 
gan the  study  of  the  law  at  the  Harvard  Law 
School,  and  graduated  in  1871,  being  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  the  same  year.  Mr. 
Dacey  early  in  life  became  interested  in  poli- 
tics, and  first  entered  the  public  service  as  a 
member  of  the  Common  Council  from  old 
Ward  2  in  1872,  being  reelected  in  the  fol- 
lowing year.  He  became  a  candidate  for 
the  lower  branch  of  the  General  Court,  and 
was  elected  for  the  session  of  1874.  In  1875 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Senate, 
where  he  served  two  terms,  winning  the 
approbation  of  his  constituents  and  the 
citizens  at  large  by  his  admirable  course 
while  a  member  of  that  body.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  judiciary  committee  during 
both  sessions.  He  was  appointed  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  City  Hospital 
on  Feb.  7,  1873,  and  was  a  member  till  the 
time  of  his  death,  being  president  of  the 
board  during  five  years.  He  was  a  delegate 
to  the  National  Democratic  Convention  at 
St.  Louis  in  1876,  which  nominated  Samuel 
J.  Tilden.  In  January,  1877,  "he  was  ap- 
pointed First  Assistant  District  Attorney  of 
Suffolk  County.  He  first  became  a  member 
of  the  School  Board  in  1880  for  two  years, 
and  in  1883  he  was  again  elected  to  the 
Board,  his  nomination  being  tendered  by 
the  Democrats  and  Republicans  alike.  Mr. 
Dacey  was  returned  to  the  Board  in  1885  for 
the  term  of  four  years,  and  for  three  years  was 
president  of  that  body.  He  also  served  on 
many  of  the  important  committees  prior  to 
his  election  as  chairman.  He  was  identified 
with  a  number  of  political  and  social  organi- 
zations, and  once  was  president  of  the  Chari- 
table Irish  Society.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Com- 


pany of  Boston,  and  was  one  of  a  special 
committee  which  visited  Great  Britain  as 
guests  of  the  Ancient  and  Honorable  Ar- 
tillery Company  of  London  on  the  occasion  of 
the  jubilee  anniversary  of  the  latter  company. 

Daly,  Anthony  C,  lawyer,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, Oct.  11,  1853.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  this  city.  He  subse- 
quently studied  law,  and  was  admitted  while 
quite  a  young  man  to  practice  at  the  Suffolk 
County  bar.  He  represented  Ward  6  in  the 
Legislature  of  1878.  A  short  time  afterwards 
he  accepted  a  position  as  attorney  for  a  rail- 
road in  the  West,  where  he  is  now  located. 

Doherty,  Philip  J.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Charlestown,  Jan.  27,  1856,  where  he  has 
always  resided.  He  is  of  Irish  parentage, 
and  is  the  grandson  of  James  and  Mary 
Munnegle,  of  the  Parish  of  Desertagney, 
Ireland.  He  graduated  at  the  Harvard  Gram- 
mar School  in  1870,  and  at  the  Charlestown 
High  School  in  1874.  At  an  early  age  he 
began  the  study  of  law,  and  completed  his 
course  at  the  Boston  University  Law  School 
in  1876,  receiving  the  degree  of  LL.B.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  Suffolk  bar,  June  4, 1877,. 
and  has  been  an  active  practitioner  ever  since. 
He  was  elected  by  the  Democrats  of  Ward  5 
to  the  Legislature  of  i884-'85-'S6,  and  during 
his  three  years  of  service  in  the  General  Court 
did  effective  work  for  his  constituency  and 
the  working-classes  throughout  the  State 
generally.  During  his  last  term  of  legisla- 
tive experience  he  was  the  acknowledged 
leader  of  the  Democratic  side  of  the  House, 
and  his  subsequent  vigorous  and  eloquent 
campaign  speeches  for  the  Democratic  party 
have  placed  him  in  a  position  of  prominence 
throughout  the  Commonwealth.  The  first 
year  that  Mr.  Doherty  served  in  the  Legisla- 
ture he  worked  hard  for  the  passage  of  the 
bill  to  abolish  contract  convict  labor;  also  in 
favor  of  the  bill  providing  that  no  minor 
under  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  no  woman, 
shall  be  obliged  to  work  more  than  ten  hours 
a  day.  He  strongly  advocated  the  Free  Text- 
Book  Bill  and  the  bill  for  the  establishment 


290 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


of  benevolent  building  associations  for  the 
assistance  of  poor  people  in  obtaining  homes. 
In  the  year  18S5  he  was  the  only  member  of 
the  Democratic  party  honored  with  a  position 
on  the  Judiciary  Committee;  he  strongly 
supported  the  Employers'  Liability  Bill,  the 
abolition  of  the  poll-tax  as  a  prerequisite 
for  voting,  and  took  an  active  part  in  other 
matters  of  important  legislation.  At  the 
Democratic  State  Convention,  in  the  fall  of 
that  year,  by  an  eloquent  and  masterly 
speech  he  nominated  Hon.  F.  O.  Prince  as 
the  candidate  for  governor.  In  1886  Mr. 
Doherty  was  the  nominee  of  his  party  for 
Speaker  of  the  House.  He  advocated  the 
Weekly  Payment  Bill,  which  became  a  law. 
He  favored  annual  elections,  the  local  rights 
bill,  arbitration,  soldiers'  exemption  bill,  bill 
for  employment  of  minors  and  women,  and 
labor  legislation.  He  Was  elected  to  the 
Board  of  Aldermen  of  1888  by  the  Indepen- 
dent Democrats  of  Charlestown,  and  was  a 
delegate  to  the  National  Democratic  Conven- 
tion at  St.  Louis  the  same  year.  In  1889  he 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Water  Board 
by  Mayor  Hart,  his  present  position. 

Dwyer,  William  Whitton,  lawyer,  born 
in  Dublin,  Ireland,  Nov.  19,  1840.  He 
graduated  from  the  Dublin  High  School  and 
Trinity  College,  and  was  admitted  attorney 
to  Superior  Court  of  Law  and  a  solicitor  of 
High  Court  of  Chancery  in  Ireland,  January, 
1861;  practised  law  in  Dublin  for  a  short 
period;  came  to  Boston  June  15,  1872,  and 
was  admitted  to  Suffolk  bar  in  1875.  He 
was  appointed  a  justice  of  the  Municipal 
Court  for  the  East  Boston  District,  May  23, 
1879.  He  is  Judge-Advocate  of  the  Mont- 
gomery Light  Guards,  and  a  member  of  the 
Irish  National  League.  He  is  Past  Grand 
Ruler  and  Representative  from  Massachu- 
setts to  the  Supreme  Assembly  of  the  Royal 
Society  of  Good  Fellows;  a  Past  Sachem  and 
Representative  to  the  Great  Council  of 
Massachusetts  in  the  Improved  Order  of  Red 
Men;  a  member  of  the  Supreme  Council 
Royal  Conclave  of  Knights  and  Ladies,  Iron 
Hall,  Pilgrim  Fathers,  and  Irish  Charitable 


Society.  He  attended  the  funeral  of  Father 
Cahill,  at  New  York,  as  a  delegate  of  the 
latter  society,  and  has  several  times  acted 
as  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  State  con- 
ventions. 

Farrell  Michael  F.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Kilkenny,  Ireland,  Sept.  13,  1848.  He  im- 
migrated from  Ireland  to  New  York,  in 
1862,  but  did  not  settle  in  Boston  until 
November,  1864.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  New  York  City  and  at 
Boston  College.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
Middlesex  County  bar,  June,  1 871,  and  to  the 
United  States  Circuit  Court  in  1876.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  School  Committee  of 
Somerville  from  1874  to  '79.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Irish  Charitable  Society. 

Fitzgerald,  James  E.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Boston,  April  25,  1855.  He  graduated  at 
the  Lyman  Grammar  School,  studied  at  the 
Boston  English  High  School,  at  private 
schools,  and  afterwards  entered  the  Boston 
University  Law  School.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  Suffolk  County  bar  in  1886,  and  made  his 
headquarters  at  the  law  office  of  Swasey  & 
Swasey,  Boston.  He  has  been  a  self-reliant 
man,  and  was  engaged  in  the  paper-stock 
and  metal  business  from  1874  to  1882,  the 
business  success  which  followed  enabling 
him  to  defray  his  educational  expenses.  His 
services  in  the  City  Council,  from  the  year 
1882  to  1884,  as  well  as  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  from  1886  to  1887, 
were  of  the  most  meritorious  kind.  He 
served  on  many  important  committees  in 
both  branches  of  the  government,  and  nu- 
merous improvements  were  made  in  his  dis- 
trict by  his  exertions.  He  had  charge  of  and 
admirably  forced  the  passage  of  a  bill  in  the 
House  for  the  appropriation  of  two  million 
five  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  im- 
provement of  public  parks  and  squares.  The 
bill  was  passed  through  a  Republican  House 
and  Senate.  He  was  the  organizer  and  is 
the  present  president  of  the  Democratic  As- 
sociation of  Ward  2.  While  in  the  House 
of  Representatives  he  was  appointed  one  of 


BIO  GRAPHICAL   SKE  TCHES. 


291 


a  committee  to  attend  the  centennial  cele- 
bration of  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution 
at  Philadelphia,  Penn.  He  presented  the 
order  to  the  House  which  made  Labor  day  a 
legal  holiday.  Senator  Alpheus  B.  Alger 
introduced  a  similar  order  to  the  Senate  on 
the  same  day. 

Flatley,  Thomas,  lawyer,  and  Deputy 
Collector  of  the  Port  of  Boston,  was  born  at 
Claremorris,  Ireland,  in  1 85 1.  He  graduated 
at  a  private  classical  school,  and  matricu- 
lated in  Queen's  College,  Galway.  While 
he  was  at  college,  the  insurrection,  or,  as  it 
was  popularly  known,  "  the  rising,"  com- 
manded the  attention  of  every  Irishman,  and 
fired  the  hearts  of  the  Irish  national  patriots. 
Mr.  Flatley  was  but  a  boy,  and  quite  an  in- 
spired one,  for  he  took  an  active  part  in 
preparing  for  the  movement  against  England. 
He  mustered  a  battalion  of  patriotic  young 
men,  received  a  commission,  and  draughted 
a  plan  of  campaign  in  his  section  of  the 
country.  He  planned  a  strategic  movement 
whereby  his  men  could  capture  arms  and 
accoutrements,  which  they  needed  badly. 
Mr.  Flatley  was  to  order  a  number  of  his 
men  to  engage  in  a  sham  fight  in  the 
public  square  of  the  town,  and  while  the 
police  would  be  busy  endeavoring  to  restore 
order,  the  remainder  of  the  battalion  would 
capture  the  police  arsenal.  Afterwards,  the 
police  were  to  be  taken  prisoners,  and  to  be 
offered  the  alternative  of  being  court-mar- 
tialled  or  swearing  allegiance  to  the  Irish 
republic.  The  order  for  "  the  rising  "  was 
countermanded  on  the  eve  of  March  5,  1867, 
which  was  a  fortunate  occurrence  for  Ire- 
land. Flying  columns  of  English  soldiers 
were  sent  through  the  provinces  with  orders 
from  the  English  commander  to  arrest  "  cen- 
tres" and  suspects.  Mr.  Flatley,  among 
others,  fled  the  country. 

For  a  while  after  his  arrival  in  this  country 
he  engaged  in  mercantile  life,  but  his  desire 
to  perfect  his  studies  impelled  him  to  enter 
Georgetown  College,  Maryland,  in  1868. 
He  passed  a  brilliant  examination  there,  and 
received  his  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  and 


a  diploma,  after  acquitting  himself  most  cred- 
itably in  the  law  department.  He  subse- 
quently became  a  member  of  the  college 
faculty.  Later,  he  associated  with  his 
brother,  P.  J.  Flatley,  Esq.,  in  law  practice. 
He  is  a  pronounced  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  was  appointed  Deputy  Collector  of  the 
Port  of  Boston  in  1885.  Mr.  Flatley  was 
at  one  time  secretary  of  the  Irish  national 
organization  in  America. 

Flynn,  Edward  J.,  lawyer,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, June  16,  1859.  He  graduated  from  the 
Eliot  Grammar  School,  the  English  High 
School,  Boston  College,  Class  of '81,  Boston 
University,  and  Harvard  Law  School.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1884,  and  has 
since  practised  law  in  Boston.  He  repre- 
sented Ward  6  in  the  Legislature  of  1885-86, 
and  was  identified  with  the  Metropolitan 
Police  Bill,  the  Credibility  of  Witnesses'  Bill, 
the  resolve  to  abolish  the  poll-tax  as  a  pre- 
requisite for  voting,  the  Biennial  Election 
Bill,  and  others.  In  1888  he  was  also  a 
member,  serving  on  the  Judiciary  Committee 
and  on  Constitutional  Amendments.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Democratic  Ward  and  City 
Committee,  and  one  of  the  Board  of  Directors, 
for  East  Boston  Ferries. 

Fox,  James  W.,  lawyer,  born  in  Boston, 
August  15,  1849.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  and  studied  law  in  the  office 
of  Hon.  Henry  W.  Paine.  After  his  admis- 
sion to  the  bar  he  began  the  practice  of  law 
in  this  city.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mon Council  from  Ward  13  in  1876,  and  of 
the  Legislature  in  1877. 

Galvin,  John  E.,  lawyer,  born  in  Boston, 
November  8,  1857.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools;  is  a  graduate  of  the  Eng- 
lish High  and  Latin  Schools  and  the  Har- 
vard Law  School.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
Suffolk  bar  in  1879,  and  is  now  engaged  in 
the  active  practice  of  law  in  this  city. 

Galvin,  Owen  A.,  United  States  District 
Attorney,  was  born  in  Boston,  of  Irish  par- 


292 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


ents,  June  21,  1852.  After  studying  in  the 
Boston  public  schools  he  entered  the  law 
office  of  Charles  F.  Donnelly  in  1872,  where 
he  made  his  preparatory  law  studies  in  con- 
junction with  a  course  of  study  which  he  re- 
ceived at  the  Boston  University  Law  School, 
from  which  institution  he  graduated  with  the 
Class  of  1876.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
Feb.  29,  1876,  and  remained  in  the  office  of 
Lawyer  Donnelly  until  1882,  where  he 
acquired  a  varied,  extensive,  and  practical 
experience  in  the  multifarious  intricacies  of 
civil  law  and  its  successful  application  to 
complex  cases.  Mr.  Galvin  opened  an  office 
immediately.  His  attainments  and  good 
qualities  were  quickly  recognized  and  appre- 
ciated, his  list  of  clients  grew  to  nattering 
proportions,  and  his  lucrative  practice  has 
constantly  increased  ever  since.  He  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives in  1881,  from  Ward  8.  He 
served  in  the  Senate  during  the  years  1882, 

1883,  and  1884.  He  was  a  candidate  of  the 
minority  for  the  presidency  of  the  Senate  in 

1884,  a  vice-president  of  the  Democratic  City 
Central  Committee  for  two  years,  of  which 
organization  he  has  been  a  member  for  the 
past  ten  years.  He  has  been  one  of  the 
leading  men  in  educational,  benevolent,  re- 
formatory, and  political  movements  which 
have  passed  into  the  history  of  his  native  city. 
He  was  elected  High  Chief  Ranger  of  the 
Massachusetts  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters, 
i882-'83,  from  Cheverus  Court,  No.  6.  In 
1883  he  was  on  the  committee  of  investiga- 
tion who  visited  the  State's  penal  institutions; 
on  their  report  of  the  subsequent  year  the  Re- 
formatory Prison  at  Concord,  Mass.,  and  the 
Homoeopathic  Hospital  for  the  Insane  were 
established.  Mr.  Calvin's  services  on  other 
committees,  while  in  the  public  service,  in- 
cluded Labor,  Liquor,  Harbor,  Public  Lands, 
Election,  and  Education;  he  was  on  the 
latter  during  four  years.  His  appointment  as 
First  Assistant  District  Attorney  by  the  Hon. 
George  M.  Stearns,  then  United  States  Attor- 
ney, placed  him  in  a  position  of  honor  and 
trust.  Mr.  Stearns  resigned  his  office  Sep- 
tember, 1S87,  and  the  attention  of  President 


Cleveland  was  attracted  to  the  high  qualifica- 
tions which  Mr.  Galvin- possessed,  and  he 
accordingly  appointed  him  a  United  States 
District  Attorney,  September,  18S7. 

Hoynes,  Edward  F.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Boston,  February  14,  1858.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Boston,  and 
later  attended  Boston  College,  the  Harvard 
Law  School,  and  Boston  University  Law 
School,  graduating  at  the  latter  institution 
in  1882.  He  represented  Ward  14  in  the 
General  Court  of  1884.  He  is  at  present 
engaged  in  the  retail  dry-goods  trade  in 
South  Boston. 

Jenkins,  Edward  J.,  lawyer,  born  in 
London,  England,  of  Irish  parents,  Dec. 
20,  1854.  He  came  to  Boston  when  but 
a  few  weeks  old;  was  educated  in  the 
grammar  schools  of  this  city,  and  studied 
law  at  the  Boston  University  Law  School, 
was  graduated  in  1889,  and  he  was  admitted 
to  the  Suffolk  bar  on  Nov.  30,  1881,  and 
to  the  bar  of  the  United  States  Court  on 
Dec.  23,  1 88 1.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Boston  School  Committee  and  secretary  of 
the  Democratic  Central  Commiltee  in  1S76, 
during  the  famous  Tilden  campaign;  was  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  in 
1877— '78— '79,  during  the  latter  year  he  ten- 
dered his  resignation  as  a  member;  was  a 
Commissioner  of  Insolvency  for  the  County 
of  Suffolk  during  the  years  i879-'8o-'8i-'82- 
'83-'84'-85,  and  he  refused  to  act  longer. 
While  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives he  was  the  candidate  of  the  Democracy 
for  the  clerk  of  the  House.  During  the  year 
1 88 1  he  was  nominated  by  the  Suffolk  County 
Democratic  Convention  for  clerk  of  the  Su- 
perior Civil  Court.  In  i885-'86-'88,  he  was 
elected  as  a  member  of  the  Common  Council, 
and  during  that  period  served  as  its  presiding 
officer;  he  was  also  Trustee  for  the  Public  Li- 
brary of  Boston  in  1885.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Massachusetts  Senate  in  1SS7.  Mr. 
Jenkins  introduced  the  order  for  the  abolition 
of  the  poll-tax  as  a  prerequisite  for  voting; 
advocated  the  passage  of  the  bill  abolishing 


EDWARD    J.    JENKINS. 


BIO  GRAPHICAL    SKE  TCHES. 


293 


the  contract  system  of  labor.     He  secured  the 
passage  of  the  law  relative  to  the  practice  of 
dentistry;    favored  the   order  authorizing  the 
employment  of  matrons  at  police    stations. 
He  supported  the  act  regulating  the  liabilities 
of    employers    to   make    compensations   for 
personal  injuries  suffered   by   employees  in 
their  service.     He  introduced  and  voted  for 
the  order  to  authorize  the  city  of  Boston  to 
operate  the  East  Boston  ferries  free  of  tolls. 
He  introduced  and  voted  for  orders  to  regu- 
late the  observance   of  the  Lord's  day,  the 
purport  of  which  was  to  secure  such  modifi- 
cations  as   were   necessary   by   the   present 
social   conditions    of    the    community.       He 
voted  and  advocated  the  making  of  Labor  day 
a  legal  holiday.    He  supported  and  voted  for 
the  bill  to  establish  the  hours  of  labor  of  per- 
sons in  the  service  of  the  Commonwealth,  and 
the  several  cities  and  towns  thereof,  so  that 
eight  hours  would  constitute  a  working  day. 
He  introduced  and  favored  orders  to  prevent 
fraud  at  primary  meetings  and  at  general  elec- 
tions.   He  advocated  the  creation  of  a  Board 
of  Public  Works  for  the  city  of  Boston,  con- 
sisting of  nine  members,  to  be  elected  by  the 
City  Council  of  Boston.     He   favored  large 
appropriations   for  the    construction   of   the 
public  parks  of  Boston.     He  supported  the 
bill   giving  preference   in   appointments    to 
office  to  honorably  discharged  soldiers  and 
sailors     without      civil-service     examination. 
He  voted  for  all  appropriations  for  charitable 
institutions,  such  as  the  Carney  Hospital  at 
South  Boston,  Soldiers'    Home   in   Chelsea, 
etc.      His    record    in    the    Legislature    on 
labor  measures  is  well  known.     He  voted  for 
legislation  relative  to  the  better  enforcement 
of  the  laws  on  labor;   for  the  laws  to  secure 
uniform  meal-times  for  children,  young  per- 
sons, and  women  employed  in  factories;  for 
the  order  to  secure  legislation  which  would 
provide  for  the  better  ventilation  and  other 
sanitary  improvements ;  for  the  law  limiting  the 
hours  of  labor  for  minors  and  women  in  manu- 
facturing  and    mechanical    establishments; 
for  the  law  which  prohibits  the  employment 
of    children  cleaning  dangerous  machinery; 
for   the  law    directing    that    employees    in 


manufacturing,  mechanical,  and  mercantile 
establishments  be  allowed  sufficient  time  to 
vote;  and  for  the  bill,  that  became  a  law, 
causing  contract  labor  in  the  penal  institu- 
tions of  the  Commonwealth  to  be  abolished. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Central  Club,  Catholic 
Order  of  Foresters,  Charitable  Irish  Society, 
and  many  other  benevolent  organizations. 
Was  a  member  of  the  Montgomery  Light 
Guards,  being  the  drummer-boy  of  the 
company,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the 
Veteran  Association  of  that  organization. 

Keating,  Patrick  M.,  lawyer,  born  at 
Springfield,  Mass.,  March  15,  i860.  He 
was  a  graduate  of  the  Houghton  Grammar 
School  in  1874,  and  also  was  graduate  of  the 
Springfield  High  School  in  1878.  He  came 
to  Boston,  entered  Harvard  University,  and 
was  graduated  in  1883.  He  entered  the  Har- 
vard Law  School,  and  remained  until  1885. 
He  acquired  a  more  complete  and  practical 
knowledge  of  law  in  the  law  office  of  Thomas 
J.  Gargan,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Suffolk 
County  bar  in  the  summer  of  1885.  He  has 
been  associate  counsel  with  Mr.  Gargan  in 
many  cases. 

Kiernan,  Patrick  B.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Boston,  March  2,  1852.  He  was  educated 
in  the  Boston  public  schools,  also  in  a  pri- 
vate school  taught  by  a  Mr.  Carroll,  of 
Providence,  R.I.,  and  later  at  Bryant  & 
Stratton's  Commercial  College.  He  studied 
law,  and  after  his  admission  to  the  bar  began 
to  practise  in  Boston  and  Chelsea.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society  and 
the  Chelsea  Yacht  Club. 

Leahy,  John  Patrick,  lawyer,  born  in 
Boston,  i860.  Educated  in  the  Boston  pub- 
lic schools,  and  later  received  private  instruc- 
tion. He  studied  law  at  Boston  University 
Law  School,  and  graduated  with  the  Class 
of  '84.  He  entered  the  law  office  of  Mr. 
Charles  F.  Donnelly,  where  he  acquired  a 
knowledge  of  legal  technique.  Mr.  Leahy 
has  been  in  active  practice  since  1884,  and 
he  has  an  extensive  clientage   in  the  Civil, 


294 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


Equity,  and  Probate  Courts  concerning 
trusts,  wills,  and  conveyances  of  real  estate. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee 
of  the  Catholic  Union  of  Boston,  and  is  con- 
nected with  the  Young  Men's  Catholic  Asso- 
ciation of  Boston  College.  He  gave  religious 
instruction  to  the  male  adults  at  the  House 
of  Industry  at  Deer  Island  for  over  two 
years.  He  has  been  Vice-President  of  the 
Catholic  Young  Men's  National  Union,  and 
also  Vice-President  of  the  Archdiocesan 
Union  of  Young  Men's  Societies.  Plis  repu- 
tation as  a  lecturer  and  a  public  speaker  is 
good,  and  he  has  won  praise  as  a  writer. 
In  two  successive  years  he  carried  off  the 
fifty-dollar  prize  offered  by  the  Catholic 
Union  of  Boston  for  the  best  essay  on  the 
subject  selected  by  the  Union.  He  has  been 
a  contributor  to  the  Catholic  press  and 
magazines.  Among  the  subjects  of  his  lect- 
ures are  :  "The  American  Catholic,"  "  Some 
Strong  Irish  Characteristics,"  "Napoleon," 
"  A  Visit  to  the  Roman  Catacombs,"  "  Elo- 
quence." 

Libby,  Philip  J.,  lawyer,  born  in  Boston, 
Feb.  22,  1861.  His  elementary  studies  were 
made  at  the  Boston  public  schools,  and  he 
graduated  from  Holy  Cross  College  at 
Worcester,  Mass.,  in  1881.  He  studied  law 
at  the  office  of  Messrs.  Crowley  &  Maxwell, 
and  graduated  from  the  Boston  University 
Law  School  in  1886,  haying  then  received 
the  degree  of  LL.B.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  Suffolk  bar  in  the  same  year. 

Magee,  Frank  P.,  lawyer,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, Jan.  27,  1859.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  this  city  and  the  Boston  Univer- 
sity Law  School,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1883.  On  Feb.  23,  i983,  he  was  admitted 
a  member  of  the  Suffolk  County  bar,  and 
was  later  appointed  a  Justice  of  the  Peace. 
He  represented  Ward  18  as  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Democratic  Ward  and  City  Com- 
mittee of  i884-'85-'86.  He  was  elected  a 
Commissioner  of  Insolvency  for  three  years, 
from  Jan.  1,  1 887,  and  is  connected  with  sev- 


eral societies  in  this  vicinity,  notably  the 
Charitable  Irish,  Ancient  Order  of  Foresters, 
Roxbury  Bachelor  Club,  and  others. 

Maher,  Peter  S.,  lawyer,  born  in  South 
Boston,  Dec.  21,  1847.  He  attended  the 
public  schools,  and  first  entered  the  employ 
of  J.  M.  Beebe  &  Co.,  dry-goods  merchants, 
with  whom  he  remained  for  five  years,  until 
the  firm  dissolved.  He  afterwards  was  en- 
gaged as  clerk  for  two  years  in  the  banking 
business  for  William  Chadborn.  He  subse- 
quently studied  law  with  Geo.  F.  Verry  at 
Worcester,  and  came  to  Boston  in  1881,  and 
is  at  present  with  Hon.  C.  J.  Noyes. 

V /Manning,  John  P.,  Clerk  of  Superior 
Court,  Criminal  Session,  in  Suffolk  County. 
Born  in  Boston,  June  17,  1851,  and  has  always 
resided  there.  He  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Boston,  and  graduated  from 
the  Dwight  Grammar  School.  He  received 
limited  instruction  at  a  commercial  college, 
and  studied  at  home.  He  entered  the  office 
of  Supreme  Court  as  a  copyist,  in  1868; 
was  appointed  assistant  clerk  in  1873;  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  January,  1874,  on  the 
motion  of  the  late  Hon.  Chas.  R.  Train, 
after  three  years'  study ;  was  elected  Clerk 
the  following  November,  to  fill  an  unexpired 
term  caused  by  the  death  of  Henry  Homer, 
Esq.  Though  a  Democrat,  he  received  a  plu- 
rality of  two  thousand  four  hundred  votes  more 
than  the  opposing  candidate.  In  two  years 
afterward  he  received  but  one  political  nomi- 
nation, the  Democratic,  yet  he  received  a  plu- 
rality of  eight  thousand  votes  over  his  oppo- 
nent; the  two  last  elections  he  received  the 
nominations  of  all  political  parties.  He  is 
untiring  in  his  efforts  to  perform  his  duties 
satisfactorily  to  the  bench,  the  bar,  and  the 
public,  and  is  patient  and  attentive  to  the 
wants  of  all  who  have  business  with  him. 
His  office  and  his  duties  are  of  the  most 
trying  nature. 

His  knowledge  of  law  is  admitted  by  those 
acquainted  with  him  to  be  excellent.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Young  Men's  Catho- 
lic  Association   of  Boston  College  since  its 


BIO  GRAPHICAL    SKE  TCHES. 


295 


organization,  also  the  Catholic  Union, 
Charitable  Irish  Society,  and  Catholic  Order 
of  Foresters. 

*f  ,  McCafferty,  Matthew  J.,  lawyer,  born 
in  Ireland,  June  17,  1829 ;  died,  June  5, 1885. 
At  a  very  early  age  his  parents  immigrated 
to  this  country,  and  located  in  Boston,  where 
young  McCafferty  attended  the  public  schools. 
In  1841  the  family  removed  to  Lowell,  Mass., 
and  Matthew,  who  was  then  twelve  years  old, 
obtained  employment  in  one  of  the  mills  of 
that  city,  where  he  remained  four  or  five 
years,  and  afterward  learned  the  machinist's 
trade.  In  1852  he  commenced  the  study  of 
law  in  the  office  of  Brown  &  Alger.  Two 
years  later  he  removed  to  Worcester,  and 
resumed  work  as  a  machinist,  to  obtain  addi- 
tional funds.  During  that  time  he  read  law, 
evenings,  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Peter  C. 
Bacon,  having  for  a  fellow-student  Judge 
Hamilton  B.  Staples.  He  saved  enough, 
during  the  mean  time,  to  pay  his  expenses  at 
college ;  but  upon  making  a  visit  to  Lowell, 
prompted  by  filial  duty,  he  expended  the 
money  he  had  accumulated  in  making  his 
poor  mother's  homestead  more  comfortable, 
and  was  subsequently  compelled  to  borrow 
from  Gen.  B.  F.  Butler  to  pay  his  way  through 
Holy  Cross  College.  After  a  three  years' 
course  he  returned  to  his  law  studies  in  the 
office  of  Brown  &  Alger.  In  March,  1867, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas,  at  Lowell,  and  eventually 
opened  an  office  in  Worcester.  At  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  War  he  took  a  decided 
stand,  and,  with  characteristic  Irish  patriot- 
ism, urged  his  countrymen  to  rally  in  defence 
of  the  Union.  He  served  as  second  lieu- 
tenant of  Company  C,  Emmet  Guards,  Third 
Battalion  of  Rifles,  during  its  enlistment,  and 
was  subsequently  commissioned  major  of  the 
Twenty- fifth  Massachusetts  Regiment.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  1866, 
'76,  '77,  and  '79;  also  of  the  Worcester 
School  Board;  and  in  1880  was  a  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  Congress.  In  1883  he 
was  appointed,  by  Governor  Butler,  an  Asso- 
ciate Justice  of  the  Municipal  Court  at  Bos- 


ton, which  position  he  occupied  at  the  time 
of  his  death. 

S  <McGeough,  James  A.,  lawyer,  born  in  the 
County  Cavan,  Ireland,  June  15,  1854.  He 
immigrated  and  came  to  Boston  in  1859.  His 
preparatory  studies  were  made  at  the  Boston 
public  schools  and  at  Boston  College.  He 
afterwards  entered  the  Boston  University 
Law  School,  and  was  graduated,  with  degree 
of  LL.B.,  in  1874.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  Suffolk  County  bar  in  the  same  year. 
He  has  won  distinction  in  public  life  by  his 
meritorious  services  to  the  people  whom  he 
has  creditably  represented.  He  served  in 
the  Common  Council  in  1878,  and  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  House  of 
Representatives  in  1879,  1880,  and  1881. 
In  the  year  1883  he  served  in  the  Massa- 
chusetts Senate.  While  in  the  Legislature 
he  made  a  notable  speech,  all  the  more 
remarkable  on  account  of  its  improvisa- 
tion. It  was  directed  against  the  Agnostic 
bill,  which  was  introduced  and  ably  sup- 
ported by  Col.  T.  W.  Higginson,  in  188 1. 
Mr.  McGeough  brought  about  the  defeat 
of  the  bill  by  a  majority  of  thirty-three  votes. 
As  a  member  of  the  State  Central  Com- 
mittee in  1887,  a  district  member-at-large  in 
1888,  and  a  delegate  from  the  Fourth  Dis- 
trict to  the  St.  Louis  Convention,  he  dis- 
played excellent  qualifications  for  political 
leadership.  He  was  counsel  for  the  steer- 
age passengers  in  their  suit  against  the  Allan 
Line  S.S.  Co.  His  argument  on  behalf  of 
his  clients  was  forcible,  positive,  logical, 
which  is  characteristic  of  his  public  speaking. 
He  is  a  regular  Democrat  in  politics. 

r  McKelleget,  R.  J.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Boston,  June  27,  1856.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  of  this  city,  also  the  English 
High  School,  and  graduated  from  the  Har- 
vard Law  School  of  1878.  Since  his  admis- 
sion to  the  bar  he  has  been  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  law  in  Boston. 

V^McLaughlin,  Edward  A.,  lawyer,  born 
in  Boston,  Sept.  25,  1853.     He  received  his 


296 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


W 


t 


education  at  Boston  College  and  at  Loyola 
College,  Baltimore,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1 87 1  with  the  degree  of  A.B.  Boston  Col- 
lege also  honored  him  with  the  degree  of 
A.M.,  in  1S77.  For  the  five  years  between 
1S71  and  1S76  he  was  engaged  as  professor 
at  Loyola  College,  Maryland,  and  Seton  Hall 
College,  New  Jersey.  Returning  to  Boston, 
he  studied  law  in  the  office  of  ex-Governor 
William  Gaston,  and  also  attended  the  Bos- 
ton University  Law  School,  where  he  received 
the  degree  of  LL.B.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1877.  He  was  elected  by  the  com- 
mittee who  had  in  charge  the  general  statute 
revision  of  1880,  to  incorporate  in  the  Public 
Statutes  the  amendments  made  by  said  com- 
mittee. He  was  highly  complimented  at  the 
time  for  his  valuable  work  by  the  present 
Judge  Robert  R.  Bishop,  who  was  president 
of  the  Senate  during  that  year,  and  also 
chairman  of  the  committee.  He  was  also 
one  of  the  two  persons  appointed  under  a 
resolve  of  the  Legislature  to  superintend  the 
printing  of  the  Public  Statutes.  Mr.  Mc- 
Laughlin was  appointed  Assistant  Clerk  of  the 
Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives  in 
1878.  Subsequently,  upon  the  accession  of 
Mr.  Marden  to  the  Speakership  of  the  House, 
in  1883,  he  was  chosen  Clerk,  which  position 
he  has  held  since.  He  is  recognized  as  a 
gentleman  of  scholarly  attainments,  and  is  a 
very  popular  and  efficient  Clerk  of  the  House 

of  Representatives. 
/ 

McLaughlin,  John  D.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Boston,  Dec.  3,  1S64.  He  received  his  early 
educational  training  in  the  public  schools  of 
this  city,  and  later  attended  Georgetown 
College,  at  which  he  graduated  in  1 883. 
In  1S86  he  graduated  from  the  Boston  Uni- 
versity Law  School,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Suffolk  County  bar  of  Massachusetts  in  the 
same  year. 

I 

Moore,  M.  J.,  lawyer,  born  in  South  Bos- 
ton, May  20,  1864.     He  attended  the  Boston 
public   schools,    the    English    High    School, 
graduated    at   the    Boston    University    Law  . 
School  in  1887,   and  was   admitted  to   the 


bar  in  1888.  He  extended  his  law  studies 
in  the  office  of  J.  F.  Murphy,  and  is  now  in 
practice  for  himself,  with  an  office  at  South 
Boston.  He  was  appointed  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  1 886,  and  is  at  present  a  member  of 
the  Democratic  Ward  and  City  Committee 
from  Ward  13. 

(^yMuLCHiNOCK,  John  D.,  law  student,  born 
in  Boston,  July  9,  1855.  He  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Quincy  Grammar  School  and  the 
English  High  School.  He  studied  three 
years  at  Holy  Cross  College,  and  also  at 
Nicolet  College,  Canada,  receiving  a  diploma 
from  the  latter.  He  represented  Ward  12 
in  the  Legislature  of  1SS0. 

*  Mulligan,  Henry  C,  lawyer,  born  in 
Natick,  March  6,  1854.  He  is  a  graduate 
of  Natick  High  School  and  Harvard  Col- 
lege, Class  of  '79.  Mr.  Mulligan,  after  his 
admission  to  the  bar,  opened  an  office  in 
Boston,  where  he  is  at  present  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  the  legal  profession.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Natick  School  Committee 
in  1SSS-S9;  a  trustee  of  Morse  Institute  and 
Natick  Public  Library  since    1885. 

i 

if  /Murphy,  James  R.,  lawyer,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, July  29,  1853.  He  attended  the  public 
schools,  Boston  College,  Georgetown  Col- 
lege, D.C.,  and  graduated  at  the  latter  in 
1872.  In  1873  he  received  the  degree  of 
A.M.  from  Loyola  College,  Baltimore,  where 
he  was  engaged  for  a  few  years  as  a  Latin 
instructor,  and  also  at  Seton  Hall,  N.J. 
He  received  the  degree  of  LL.B.  from 
Boston  University  in  June,  1876,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Suffolk  County  bar  in  the  fol- 
lowing month  of  October.  He  introduced  into 
Massachusetts  the  process  of  casting  wrought 
iron,  a  valuable  invention  of  a  Swede,  which 
is  now  in  successful  operation  in  foundry- 
work  in  Boston.  He  was  one  of  the  foun- 
ders of  the  Young  Men's  Catholic  Associa- 
tion, and  is  at  present  engaged  in  a  lucra- 
tive law  practice  in  this  city. 

rf 

"i     Naphen,  Henry  F.,  lawyer,  born  in  Ire- 
land, Aug.  14,  1852,  and  came  to  this  coun- 


BIO  GRAPHICAL    SKE  TCHES. 


297 


try  with  his  parents  when  an  infant.     The 
family  settled   in    Lowell,    Mass.,  in    1855, 
where   he   received   his   early   education  at 
the  public  schools.     After  removing  to  Bos- 
ton he  continued  his  studies  under  a  private 
tutor,  and  entered  the  Harvard  Law  School, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1S78.     Later  he 
took  a  further  course  at  Harvard  University, 
as  resident   Bachelor   of  Laws,  and  finally 
completed  his  professional  education  at  the 
Law  School  of  the  Boston  University.     In 
1S81    he  was  admitted  to  the   Suffolk  bar, 
and  has  since   practised   his   profession   in 
this  city.     In  1882  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  School    Committee   for   three   years, 
and  in  1883  was   appointed   Bail   Commis- 
sioner.    He   represented   the    Fifth    Suffolk 
District    in    the    Senate    of     i885-'86-'87. 
During  his  first  year  in  the  upper  branch  of 
the  Legislature  he  served  on  the  committees 
on    Probate   and  Chancery,  Election  Laws, 
Drainage,  and   chairman  of  Committee    on 
Engrossed  Bills.     During  the  same  year  he 
opposed    the    bill   for    transferring   divorce 
cases   from   the    Supreme    to   the   Superior 
Court,    worked    against     the    Metropolitan 
Police  Bill,  and  introduced   a  measure  em- 
powering all  courts  of  record  to  grant  natu- 
ralization.     In    i886-'87   he    opposed   the 
introduction  of    an    act   that   "  No   person 
hereafter  naturalized  in  any  court  shall   be 
entitled   to   be  registered  as  a  voter  within 
thirty  days  of  registration  ;  "  and  his  action 
was  sustained   by  the  Supreme  Court.     He 
advocated  the  abolition  of  the  poll-tax  as  a 
prerequisite  for  voting,  was    adverse  to  the 
divisions  of  Hopedale  and  Beverly,  and  took 
a  leading  and  influential  part  in  the  legisla- 
tion concerning  credibility  of  witnesses  and 
the  use  of  opinion.     He  is  a  member  of  the 
Ward  14  Democratic  Committee,  Charitable 
Irish  Society,  Catholic  Union,  Royal  Society 
of  Good  Fellows,  Catholic  Order  of  Forest- 
ers, and  was  one  of  the  original  incorpora- 
tors   of  Father     Roche's     Working    Boys' 
Home. 

,Jj   )     Noonan,  Francis,  lawyer,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, June,  i860.     He  is  a  graduate  of  one  of 


the  Grammar  schools  and  also  the  High 
School  of  Charlestown.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  Suffolk  County  bar,  June  8,  1884,  and 
has  since  that  time  been  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  law.  He  was  appointed  a  Notary 
Public  by  Governor  Robinson,  June  23,  1886. 

M 

Noonan,  John  A.,  lawyer,  born  in  South 
Boston,  August  25,  1861.  He  attended  the 
public  schools,  graduated  from  the  Boston 
Latin  School,  took  a  course  at  Harvard  Col- 
lege, graduated  from  the  Boston  University 
Law  School  in  1886,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  Suffolk  County  bar  the  same  year.  He 
later  continued  his  legal  studies  in  the  office 
of  Burbank  &  Bennett  in  this  city,  where  he 
is  at  present  located  in  active  practice. 

J_7  O'Brien,  James  W.,  lawyer,  born  in  the 
city  of  Charlestown,  Mass.  (now  a  part  of 
Boston),  May  I,  1846,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  Charlestown  was  then  a  part  of 
Middlesex  County,  and  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  that  county  in  1867.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Charlestown  City  Council  in 
the  years  1870  and  1871,  serving  at  the  same 
time  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  the  Public  Library.  He  practised  law  in 
Charlestown  until  its  annexation  to  Boston  in 
1874,  when  he  removed  his  office  to  the  city 
proper.  On  July  6,  1883,  Mr.  O'Brien  was 
nominated  by  Gov.  Benjamin  F.  Butler 
Judge  of  the  Charlestown  District  Court,  to 
fill  a  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Judge 
G.  W.  Warren.  In  Massachusetts  the  ap- 
pointment by  the  governor  is  non-conclusive 
unless  the  appointee  be  confirmed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor's Council.  Governor  Butler's  Council 
consisted  of  six  Republicans  and  one  Dem- 
ocrat, and  they  refused,  in  Mr.  O'Brien's 
case,  to  confirm  the  Governor's  appointment, 
by  a  party  vote  of  six  to  one.  The  Boston 
papers  condemned  the  partisan  and  unfair 
action  of  the  Republican  members  of  the 
Council  in  their  treatment  of  Mr.  O'Brien, 
whose  qualifications  made  him  worthy  of  the 
judgeship,  and  their  conduct  in  voting 
against  his  confirmation  because  he  was  a 
Democrat  was  severely  criticised. 


298 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


< "  O'Loughlin,  P.,  lawyer,  born  in  En- 
nistymore,  County  Clare,  Ireland,  July  16, 
1849.  He  came  to  Boston,  June  5,  1864, 
and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
this  city.  He  worked  in  the  furniture  busi- 
ness several  years,  and  obtained  money 
enough  to  take  a  three  years'  course  at  the 
Boston  University  Law  School,  winning  the 
-degree  of  LL.D.  in  1878,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  Suffolk  County  bar  in  1879.  He  was 
Superintendent  of  St.  Joseph's  Sunday-school 
at  the  West  End  for  several  years,  Chief 
Ranger  of  St.  Joseph's  Court  of  Catholic 
Foresters,  and  President  of  the  Charlestown 
Catholic  Lyceum  Association. 

C  b  Pltjnkett,  Christopher  G.,  lawyer,  born 
in  Boston,  Aug.  29,  1859.  After  the  return 
of  his  father,  Capt.  Chris.  Plunkett,  from  the 
war,  his  family  removed  to  Medford,  Mass. 
Young  Plunkett  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Medford,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  1877.  After  graduating  from  the 
public  schools  of  Medford  he  entered  the 
Boston  University  Law  School,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1880,  in  the  meanwhile 
studying  in  the  office  of  Hon.  John  F.  Colby. 
After  completing  his  course  in  the  Law 
School,  and  passing  a  highly  satisfactory  ex- 
amination for  the  Suffolk  County  bar  on 
June  15,  1881,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Mas- 
sachusetts bar,  upon  motion  of  Hon.  Nathan 
Morse.  Since  then  he  has  been  practising 
law  in  Boston.  Mr.  Plunkett  has  been  elected 
by  his  towns-people  in  Medford  to  the  office  of 
auditor  of  the  town,  being  the  first  descend- 
ant of  an  Irish- American  ever  elected  to  any 
office  in  the  town  of  Medford.  He  has  been 
twice  nominated  by  the  Democratic  party  as 
its  candidate  for  Senator  in  the  First  Middle- 
sex District  of  Massachusetts,  and  is  one  of 
the  leaders  of  the  young  Democracy  of  the 
State.  On  August  29,  188S,  he  was  the 
orator  of  the  day  at  the  grand  reunion  of  the 
Massachusetts  Ninth  Regiment,  held  at  Oak 
Island,  near  Boston. 

3   ^  Reynolds,   John    P.,    lawyer,    born    in 
Charlestown,    Mass.,    May  30,    1859.     The 


public  schools  and  Boston  College  founded 
his  education,  and  he  afterwards  learned  the 
harness-maker's  trade,  at  which  he  worked 
for  nine  years,  and  at  the  same  time  read 
law.  He  entered  the  Boston  University  Law 
School,  where  he  was  graduated  with  the 
Class  of  1886,  and  he  was  admitted  to  the  Suf- 
folk bar  in  the  same  year.  In  18S3  and  1S84 
he  was  secretary  of  the  Ward  5  committee  of 
the  Democratic  Ward  and  City  Committee. 
In  1884-85  he  took  the  school  and  prison 
census.  He  was  the  assistant  registrar  of 
voters  for  the  Charlestown  District  in  i884-'85, 
and  served  in  the  Legislature  in  i886-'87. 
While  in  the  House  he  served  on  the 
committees  on  Probate,  Insolvency,  and 
Prisons.  He  is  President  of  St.  Mary's 
Mutual  Relief  Society,  and  a  member  of  the 
Ninth  Regiment,  M.V.M. 

'7 

$  Riley,  Thomas,  lawyer,  born  in  the  County 
Cavan,  Ireland,  Dec.  4, 1849,  and  was  brought 
from  Ireland  to  Boston  during  his  infancy. 
He  was  educated  at  the  public  schools,  and 
graduated  at  the  Harvard  Law  School  in 
1870,  and  received  the  degree  of  LL.B. 
He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Gen.  Benjamin 
F.  Butler,  and  has  been  in  active  practice 
for  eighteen  years.  He  is  a  good  pleader,  a 
forcible  speaker,  and  is  noted  for  his  tenacity 
to  the  interests  of  his  clients.  He  early  be- 
came interested  in  politics,  and  organized  the 
Young  Men's  Democratic  Club  in  1871,  was 
a  delegate  to  the  Baltimore  Convention  which 
nominated  Horace  Greeley  in  1872,  can- 
vassed Massachusetts  and  part  of  New  York 
State  for  Samuel  J.  Tilden  in  1876.  In 
i879-'8o  and  '82  he  was  prominent  in  the 
Butler  campaigns. 

«l  *Shea,  Daniel  J.,  lawyer,  born  in  Boston, 
March  31,  1857;  died,  Sept.  3, 1S88.  He  was 
a  graduate  of  the  Brimmer  School  in  1870, 
English  High  School  of  1873,  Boston  Latin 
School,  1876  (being  the  first  Catholic  boy  to 
win  first  prize  for  declamations),  and  studied 
two  years  at  the  Harvard  Law  School.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  practised  law  in 
Boston,  and  he  was  a  Bail  Commissioner. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


299 


b  J  Shea,  John  F.,  lawyer,  born  in  Boston, 
June  2,  1S59.  He  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  this  city,  and  after  a  course  of 
study  in  the  law  he  was  admitted  to  the  Suf- 
folk County  bar,  where  he  is  at  present  a  well- 
known  practitioner.  Mr.  Shea  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture of  1SS6,  where  he  distinguished  himself 
as  member  of  the  Committee  on  Claims. 
During  18S7  and  1SS8  he  represented  the 
eighth  district  in  the  State  Senate. 

1.  V  Shea,  R.  W.,  lawyer,  born  in  Halifax,  N.S., 
March  14, 185 1 .  While  an  infant  he,  with  his 
parents,  removed  to  Boston,  where  he  obtained 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools.  He 
graduated  from  the  Boston  University  Law 
School  in  1877,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Nor- 
folk County  bar  in  1SS0.  He  was  also 
admitted  to  the  Chicago  bar.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  this  city, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Charitable  Irish 
Society. 

Q  I  Strange,  Thomas  F.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Manchester,  N.H.,  Dec.  24,  1859.  His  father 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  first  Catholic 

'  church  in  the  place  of  his  birth.  He  came  to 
Boston  while  very  young,  and  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  this  city;  graduated 
from  the  Boston  University  Law  School  in 
1882,  receiving  the  degree  of  LL.B.,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  Suffolk  County  bar  the 
same  year.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Democratic  Ward  and  City  Committee  for 
eight  years,  and  in  1883  was  appointed  to  fill 
a  vacancy  as  a  Commissioner  of  Insolvency. 
He  was  later  elected  to  the  office  for  three 
years. 

(^Sullivan,  Cornelius  P.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Boston,  April  22,  1861.  He  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Quincy  Grammar  School,  the  English 
High  School  of  1876,  Latin  School,  1882,  and 
the  Harvard  Law  School,  1885.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  the  latter  year,  and  has 
since  been  engaged  in  legal  practice. 

yj  Sullivan,  Richard,  lawyer,  born  in  Dur- 
ham, Conn.,  Feb.  24,  1856.      In  infancy  he 


was  brought  to  Boston.  He  graduated  at 
the  Comins  Grammar  School,  Boston  College, 
Boston  University  Law  School  in  1882,  re- 
ceiving the  degree  of  LL.B.,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Suffolk  County  bar  in  1883. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Harvard  Law 
School.  In  1SS1-82  he  studied  in  the  office 
of  C.  T.  and  T.  H.  Russell  &  Co.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Common  Council  of  i887-'88— 
'89,  serving  on  the  committees  on  Claims, 
Judiciary,  etc.,  and  is  one  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Young  Men's  Democratic 
Club  of  Massachusetts. 

^Sullivan,  William,  lawyer,  born  in 
County  Cork,  Ireland,  June  9,  1854.  In 
the  spring  of  1866  he  immigrated  to  this 
country,  locating  at  Salem,  Mass.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools,  graduated  at 
the  Salem  High  School  in  1874,  Harvard 
Law  School  in  188 1,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  Suffolk  County  bar,  June  22,  1882. 
During  the  year  between  his  graduation 
from  the  law  school  and  admission  to  the 
bar  he  studied  in  the  office  of  Hon.  E.  R. 
Hoar,  where  he  has  continued  to  practise 
ever  since. 

^JIsweeney,  James  F.,  lawyer,  born  in  May- 
nard,  Mass.,  Sept.  19,  1863.  The  basis  of 
his  education  was  laid  at  the  town  school 
and  the  Maynard  High  School;  he  gradu- 
ated at  the  latter,  and  studied  at  Boston  Col- 
lege for  some  time.  He  entered  the  law 
office  of  Mr.  John  F.  Cronan,  and  attended 
the  Boston  University  Law  School.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  Suffolk  bar  on  Jan.  17,1 888. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  Maynard  School 
Committee  for  three  years,  ending  in  March, 
1888,  and  he  was  local  editor  of  "The  En- 
terprise," a  Maynard  newspaper. 

£  Taff,  John  H.,  lawyer,  born  in  Boston, 
Aug.  20,  1859.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  this  city,  and  graduated  at  the 
Boston  Latin  School  in  1875,  an&  Harvard 
College  in  1879.  He  afterward  studied  law 
at  the  Harvard  Law  School;  he  graduated, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Suffolk  County  bar 


300 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


in  1SS3.  He  supplemented  his  legal  studies 
in  the  law  office  of  Charles  F.  Donnelly,  and 
is  now  engaged  in  active  legal  practice  in 
Boston. 

*^L  Walsh,  James  L.,  lawyer,  born  in  East 
*  Boston,  March  28,  1843.  He  graduated  at 
the  Lyman  Grammar  school,  at  Holy  Cross 
College,  1 866,  and  at  the  Harvard  Law  School. 
He  represented  Ward  2  in  the  Legislature 
of  1877-78,  serving  on  the  Joint  Standing 
Committee  on  Harbors  and  the  Judiciary 
Committee.  Upon  the  establishment  of  the 
East  Boston  District  Court  he  was  appointed 
a  special  justice. 


I' 


Ward,  John  P.  J.,  lawyer,  born  at  the 
\Torth  End,  Boston,  Aug.  5,  1857.  He  at- 
tended the  old  Mayhew  School  and  the  Bos- 
ton High  School.  He  studied  law  at  the 
Boston  University  Law  School,  and  received 
the  degree  of  LL.B.  in  1877.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  May,  1878,  and  opened 
a  law  office  shortly  afterwards.  He  repre- 
sented Ward  7  in  the  Common  Council  for 


one  year  after  his  admission  to  the  bar,  but 
abandoned  political  life  to  give  more  atten- 
tion to  the  law. 

V  jf  Whall,  William  B.  F.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Boston,  March  10,  1856.  His  early  educa- 
tion was  received  at  St.  Mary's  Parochial 
School.  After  graduation,  he  attended  Bos- 
ton College,  where  he  received  a  number  of 
meritorious  prizes.  In  1874  he  received  the 
degree  of  A.B.,  and  in  1876  the  degree  of 
A.M.,  from  Holy  Cross  College.  He  was 
the  recipient  of  the  degree  of  LL.B.  from 
Maryland  University  Law  School  in  1876, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Maryland  bar  July 
of  the  same  year.  He  was  honored  with 
the  degree  of  LL.B.  from  the  Boston  Uni- 
versity Law  School  in  1877,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Suffolk  County  bar  of  Massa- 
chusetts in  November,  1877.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Common  Council,  represent- 
ing Ward  7,  during  1886  and  1887.  He  was 
elected  as  a  Commissioner  of  Insolvency  in 
the  fall  of  1886,  to  hold  office  for  three  years, 
from  1887  to  1890. 


Names  of  lawyers  whose  biographical  sketches  were  not  written,  owing  to  no  fault  of 


ours: 


Amory,  Thomas  C. 
Andrews,  Augustus. 
Barry,  Thomas  E. 
Burke,  Francis. 
Cahill,  John. 
Casey,  P.  J. 
Cavanagh,  L.  J. 

COAKLEY,  T.  W. 

Coffey,  John  A. 
Collins,  Edward  F. 
Connolly,  William  T. 
Cooney,  James,  Jr. 
Curly,  Thomas. 
Daly,  Aug.  J. 
Dillon,  J.  T. 
Doherty,  William  W. 
Dolan,  Matthew. 
Donahoe,  C.  H. 
Donnelly,  Charles  F. 
Druky,  William  H. 


Duff,  William  F. 
Dwyer,  Richard  J. 
Fagin,  James  K. 
Fallon,  Joseph  D. 
Farley,  James  F. 
Feely,  Joseph  J. 
Flatley,  P.  J. 
Gallagher,  Charles  T. 
Harrington,  D.  A. 
Harrington,  W.  H. 
Hebron,  John  B. 
Kennedy,  John  C. 
Maguire,  Thomas  F. 
McDonald,  J.  W. 
Moran,  John  B. 
Mulvey,  P.  E. 
Sullivan,  Edward. 
Sullivan,  J.  B. 
Sullivan,  J.  J. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES 


OF 


BOSTON    PHYSICIANS 


SKETCHES    OF    BOSTON    PHYSICIANS. 


Burke,  John,  physician,  born  in  Ireland. 
He  was  educated  at  Holy  Cross  College, 
Worcester,  and  the  Harvard  Medical  School, 
of  both  of  which  he  was  a  graduate.  He 
resided  in  Natick,  Mass.,  for  a  time,  and  was 
a  member  of  the  School  Board  of  that  town 
for  one  year.  He  subsequently  removed  to 
Boston,  and  located  at  the  North  End,  where 
he  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine. 

•*-  Callanan,  Samson  A.,  physician,  born  at 
Port  Jervis,  N.Y.,  Nov.  7,  1862.  He  re- 
moved to  Boston  in  1872,  and  subsequently 
graduated  from  the  Dwight  School,  Boston 
College  (A.B.  1882),  (A.M.  1883),  and  the 
Harvard  Medical  School.  He  is  a  member 
of  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  Boston 
College  Alumni  Association,  Young  Men's 
Catholic  Association  of  Boston  College,  and 
is  the  medical  examiner  of  Cathedral,  St. 
James,  Holy  Trinity,  St.  Peters,  and  Ameri- 
can courts  of  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters; 
also  of  the  Knights  of  St.  Rose,  Royal  Society 
of  Good  Fellows,  and  the  International  Be- 
nevolent and  Fraternal  Co. 

1  Daly,  Bernard  T.,  physician,  born  in 
Lawrence,  Mass.,  Sept.  13,  1857.  He  at- 
tended St.  Mary's  and  Oliver  Grammar 
Schools  of  that  place,  College  of  St.  Thomas 
of  Villanova,  Penn.,  and  the  Medical  School 
of  New  York  University.  He  removed  to 
Boston  Oct.  6,  1883.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters, 
A.O.H.  Div.  No.  1,  A.  L.  of  H.  Charitable 
Irish  Society,  M.U.B.A.,  and  A.O.F. 

^  Devine,  William  H.,  physician,  born  in 
Boston,   June    21,    i860.     He   attended  the 


public  schools,  graduated  at  the  English  High 
School  and  the  Harvard  Medical  School,  re- 
ceiving the  degree  of  M.D.  He  has  been  for 
some  time  a  practising  physician  in  South 
Boston;  he  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Order 
of  Foresters  and  the  Legion  of  Honor. 
/ 

^  Dorcey,  James  E.,  physician,  born  in 
Boston,  Oct.  21,  1857.  He  attended  the 
public  schools,  graduated  at  the  Boston  Latin 
School  and  the  Harvard  Medical  School  in 
1880,  receiving  the  degree  of  M.D.,  and  has 
practised  in  this  city  ever  since.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters 
and  of  the  Royal  Arcanum. 


■ 


y  Dunn,  William  A.,  physician,  born  in 
Boston,  Sept.  6,  1852.  His  people  settled 
in  this  State  more  than  half  a  century  ago. 
His  paternal  grandmother  was  an  old  resident 
of  Lawrence,  Mass.,  and  was  buried  there  in 
1845.  His  mother,  nee  Julia  Kearny,  was 
related  to  the  family  of  Gen.  Phil.  Kearny. 
Dr.  Dunn  graduated  as  a  Franklin  Medal 
scholar  from  the  Eliot  School  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  years.  He  possessed  a  rich  and 
beautiful  contralto  voice,  and  was  the  soloist 
of  his  school.  He  sang  in  a  choir  of  adults 
when  but  eleven  years  of  age,  and  was  very 
frequently  heard  in  concerts,  and  became 
known  as  "  the  boy  contralto."  The  position 
of  soloist  in  the  choir  of  the  Church  of  the 
Advent  was  tendered  him,  which  he  did  not 
accept.  He  passed  a  successful  examination 
for  admission  to  the  English  High  School; 
thence  he  went  to  Boston  College,  from 
which  he  graduated,  having  received  in  his 
last  year  all  possible  honors  from  that  insti- 
tution.    These  comprised  three  silver  medals 


(303) 


304 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


and  the  gold  prize  for  dramatic  reading.  He 
received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and 
afterwards  the  honorary  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts,  and  then  proceeded  to  Harvard 
University,  to  pursue  a  course  of  medical 
studies.  He  was  graduated  with  such  distin- 
guished honor  that  he  received  the  prize  of 
surgical  house  doctor  at  the  Massachusetts 
General  Hospital,  where  he  resided  for  six- 
teen months. 

His  experience  while  at  Harvard,  as 
assistant  to  the  professor  of  medical  chemis- 
try, served  him  in  a  great  measure  at  the 
hospital.  He  was  the  assistant  of  Dr.  Henry 
I.  Bowditch,  with  whom  he  was  associated  in 
the  compilation  of  his  work  on  consumption. 
He  was  asked  by  Mr.  Terry,  a  wealthy 
Southerner,  to  act  as  his  medical  companion 
during  a  three  years'  sojourn  in  Europe; 
although  that  gentleman  made  him  a  tempt- 
ing proposal,  the  young  physician  decided  to 
remain  in  Boston.  He  became  assistant  to 
Dr.  John  G.  Blake,  with  whom  he  remained 
one  year,  and  then  began  to  establish  himself 
in  practice,  and  opened  an  office  on  Cham- 
bers street,  where  he  has  remained  ever  since, 
and  has  become  the  possessor  of  wealth. 
His  extensive  practice  requires  an  assistant's 
services,  and  is  still  growing.  In  1876  Dr. 
Dunn  was  the  Professor  of  Chemistry  at 
Boston  College,  later  he  taught  physiology 
there.  About  the  same  year  he  was  made 
assistant  surgeon  in  the  battery  of  the  Second 
Brigade,  M.V.M.;  the  first  battalion  of  cav- 
alry, in  the  same  brigade,  claimed  him  as 
its  assistant  surgeon  in  the  following  year,  and 
afterwards  he  became  the  surgeon,  which 
position  he  held  until  1881,  when  his  other 
medical  duties  compelled  him  to  resign.  In 
1878  he  went  to  Europe,  and  there  pursued 
his  medical  investigations  and  studies  with 
his  friend,  Mr.  George  Crompton,  of  Worces- 
ter, Mass.,  the  famous  inventor. 

In  1882  he  was  appointed  assistant  surgeon 
to  the  Carney  Hospital,  and  in  1884  he  was 
one  of  the  visiting  surgeons,  which  position 
he  now  holds,  and  while  serving  in  that  ca- 
pacity he  has  performed  many  difficult  surgi- 
cal operations.   He  was  elected  to  the  School 


Committee  in  1886,  receiving  the  nomination 
of  both  political  parties.  In  1887  Governor 
Ames  appointed  him,  together  with  Hon. 
John  F.  Andrew,  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
Institution  for  the  Feeble-minded,  for  three 
years.  He  is  trustee  of  the  Union  Institu- 
tion for  Savings.  In  1887-88  the  Alumni 
Association  of  Boston  College  elected  him  its 
president.  He  is  a  life  member  of  the  Young 
Men's  Catholic  Association,  a  member  of  the 
Charitable  Irish  Society,  the  Eliot  School 
Association,  the  Clover  Club,  the  Puritan 
Club,  and  the  Boston  Athletic  Club.  He  is 
medical  examiner  for  several  courts  of  For- 
esters. Dr.  Dunn  has  written  much.  In 
1882  he  published  a  pamphlet  on  the  Thera- 
peutics of  Vivisection,  which  he  read  before 
the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society;  also  a 
paper  on  the  "Use  and  Abuse  of  Ergot." 
Several  of  his  cases  have  been  printed  in 
the  medical  journals.  He  is  a  member  of 
many  societies,  such  as  the  American  Medi- 
cal Association,  the  Boston  Society  for  Medi- 
cal Observation,  the  Boston  Medical  Benevo- 
lent Association,  and  the  Bostonian  Society. 

J  Galligan,  E.  T.,  physician,  born  in  Taun- 
ton, Mass.,  June  26,  1858.  He  graduated 
from  the  Taunton  High  School,  St.  Charles 
College,  and  the  Harvard  Medical  School. 
He  is  an  attending  physician  at  St.  Eliza- 
beth's Hospital,  and  also  at  the  House  of 
the  Angel  Guardian.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Mass.  Med.  Society,  Norfolk  Dist.  Medi- 
cal Society,  Mass.  Catholic  Order  of  Forest- 
ers, Clover  Club,  and  he  is  considered  one  of 
the  leading  young  medical  practitioners  of 
the  city. 


Grainger,  William  H.,  physician,  born 
in  Mallow,  County  Cork,  Ireland,  Nov.  7, 
1845.  He  emigrated  from  his  native  place, 
Nov.  7,  1864.  In  the  year  1870  he  located 
in  Boston.  His  early  education  was  received 
at  Rev.  Mr.  Martindale's  private  school 
at  Mallow,  afterwards  he  went  to  a  private 
tutor  in  Dublin  and  the  Bandon  Institute. 
He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Medical  School  of 
the  University  of  New  York,  and  has  been 


WILLIAM    DUNN.    M.D. 


BIO  GRAPHICAL   SKE  TCHES. 


305 


in  active  practice  at  East  Boston  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  has  been  a  trustee  of  the 
East  Boston  Savings  Bank  since  1S81,  and  a 
member  of  the  School  Committee  since  Jan- 
uary, 18S7.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  Boston  Gynae- 
cological Society,  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, Charitable  Irish  Society,  Catholic 
Union,  Clover  Club,  and  Wendell  Phillips 
Branch  of  the  Land  League. 


K 


Kennealy,  John  H.,  physician,  born  in 
Boston,  Dec.  22,  1849.  He  attended  the 
Eliot,  Latin,  and  Chauncy  Hall  Schools, 
Harvard  University,  and  also  the  medical 
school  of  that  institution.  He  was  surgeon 
in  the  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Militia  in 
iSyS-'yj-'yS,  has  been  in  active  practice  in 
the  Roxbury  district  for  several  years,  and 
was  a  candidate  for  the  School  Committee 
on  two  different  occasions.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society, 
American  Legion  of  Honor,  Royal  Society 
of  Good  Fellows,  C^tJioljc^Order^^pf  For- 
esters, and  the  Societe  de  la  Prevoyance. 

j  '  Lane,  John  G.,  physician  and  surgeon, 
born  in  Philadelphia,  Penn.,  in  1854.  He  was 
educated,  however,  in  the  National  School, 
Donoughmore,  County  Cork,  Ireland;  Ter- 
rence  Golden's  Latin  School;  Clongowes 
Wood  College,  County  Kildare;  Trinity  Col- 
lege, Dublin;  and  received  the  degrees  of 
A.B.,  M.B.,  Bch.  L.M.,  L.S.,  T.C.D.,  and 
Lie.  Mid.,  Combe  Lying-in  Hospital  of  Dub- 
lin. He  arrived  in  Boston,  July  22,  1876,  and 
has  since  been  actively  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession,  being  located  in  the 
peninsular  district.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Montgomery  Light  Guard  Veteran  Associa- 
tion, Irish-American  Club  of  South  Boston, 
Irish  Charitable  Society,  Bachelors'  Club  of 
South  Boston,  and  the  National  Irish  Athletic 
Association. 

j  <  Lawler,  Thomas  J.,  physician,  born  in 
Boston,  Dec.  1,  1859.  He  attended  the 
East-street  Primary  School,  graduated  from 
the   Quincy   Grammar,    English   High,  and 


Harvard  Medical  Schools,  receiving  the  de- 
gree of  M.D.  from  the  latter.  He  has  been 
engaged  in  active  practice  at  the  West  End 
for  several  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  and  he  is  also 
connected  with  many  fraternal  organiza- 
tions. 

/  <JVTacdonald,  William  G.,  physician  and 
Medical  Inspector  of  the  Board  of  Health, 
born  in  Boston,  March  12,  1858.  He  attend- 
ed the  public  schools  and  Boston  College. 
Graduated  from  the  latter  institution  and  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  A.B.  He  entered  the 
medical  school  of  Harvard  University  and 
graduated  with  the  Class  of  1884,  and  re- 
ceived a  medal  for  proficiency  in  the  nat- 
ural sciences.  He  is  the  treasurer  of  the 
Boston  College  Alumni  Association.  He  has 
been  the  lecturer  of  the  Massachusetts  Emer- 
gency and  Hygiene  Association  during  three 
years,  ending  in  June,  1888,  in  which  posi- 
tion he  did  much  useful  work. 

/•J  MARA,  Frank  T.,  physician,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, Dec.  21,  1863.  He  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools,  and  subse- 
quently attended  Holy  Cross  College,  from 
which  institution  he  received  the  degree  of 
A.B.,  in  1883.  He  then  took  a  regular  course 
at  the  medical  school  of  Harvard  University, 
where  he  obtained  the  degree  of  M.D.,  in 
1887. 

/"fMcDEViTT,  James  J.,  physician  and  sur- 
geon, born  in  East  Boston,  July  17,  i860. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  the  Adams  and  Eng- 
lish High  Schools,  attended  Boston  College, 
and  was  also  a  graduate  of  the  medical 
school  of  the  University  of  New  York.  He 
is  now  physician  for  the  Overseers  of  the 
Poor;  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Catho- 
lic Order  of  Foresters,  Fitton  Literary  In- 
stitute, Ancient  Order  of  Foresters,  and  the 
Royal  Society  of  Good  Fellows. 

McLaughlin,  Henry  V.,  physician  and 
surgeon,  born  in  Duncannon,  County  Wex- 
ford,  Ireland,    Feb.    9,    1855.       He    immi- 


306 


THE  IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


grated  Feb.  12,  1885,  arrived  in  Boston 
Feb.  25,  18S5.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Collegiate  Seminary  of  Waterford;  Ledwick 
School  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  Dublin; 
Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  Dublin,  and 
the  Royal  College  of  Physicians,  Edinburgh, 
Scotland,  and  is  a  graduate  from  the  two 
latter  institutions.  He  has  been  an  attend- 
ant physician  to  St.  John's  Ecclesiastical 
Seminary,  Brighton,  since  Nov.,  1886;  is 
medical  examiner  of  the  Brighton  Assembly 
of  Royal  Society  of  Good  Fellows,  and  a 
member  of  a  local  branch  of  the  Irish  Land 
League  Association. 

I  *y  McNally,  Wm.  J.,  physician  and  sur- 
geon, born  in  Charlestown,  Oct.  8,  1863. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  the  public  schools  and 
the  Harvard  Medical  School,  and  he  is  now 
engaged  in  practice.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
staff  of  the  Charlestown  Free  Dispensary  and 
of  the  Middlesex  (So.  District)  Medical  So- 
ciety, also  of  St.  Mary's  Young  Men's  Tem- 
perance Society. 

1  0  Moran,  John  B.,  physician,  born  in  St. 
John,  N.B.,  Aug.  3,  1838.  He  came  to 
Boston  in  1841,  and  afterwards  attended  the 
public  schools.  He  entered  the  Harvard 
Medical  School  in  1861.  During  the  sum- 
mer of  1862  he  was  engaged  by  the  sanitary 
commission  as  assistant  surgeon  in  the  "  pen- 
insular campaign."  He  graduated  as  doctor 
of  medicine  in  1 864,  and  for  two  years  fol- 
lowing attended  the  hospitals  of  Vienna, 
Prague,  Berlin,  and  Paris.  Certain  induce- 
ments, however,  allured  him  into  mercantile 
pursuits  in  1866,  which  he  followed  for  five 
years,  until  he  resumed  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine, in  1871.  He  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Boston  School  Committee  in  1876,  and 
served  nine  consecutive  years.  Upon  the 
creation  of  the  office  of  Instructor  of  Hygiene 
in  the  public  schools,  in  18S5,  he  was  chosen 
to  the  position,  which  he  at  present  retains. 
He  was  elected  President  of  the  Irish  Chari- 
table Society  in  1886,  and  presided  at  the 
memorable  celebration  of  the  150th  anni- 
versary of  that  organization. 


0  Moran,  Martin  W.,  physician,  born  in 
Clinton,  Mass.,  Oct.  29,  1854.  He  attended 
the  Clinton  public  schools,  and  graduated 
from  the  New  York  College  and  Bellevue 
Hospital  in  1876.  He  was  engaged  after 
graduation  as  an  inspector  in  New  York, 
severing  his  connection  with  that  position  in 
October,  1887,  and  is  now  a  practitioner  in 
Boston.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Order  of  Foresters. 

\  )Morris,  John  G.,  physician,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, March  26,  1856.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Boston  Latin  School,  Harvard  University, 
and  also  of  the  Harvard  Medical  School.  He 
has  practised  for  several  years;  served  at  the 
Mass.  General  Hospital,  and  he  is  at  present 
visiting  physician  to  St.  Elizabeth's  Hospital 
of  this  city. 

«  M 

■*  '  Murphy,  Francis  C,  physician,  born  in 

Taunton,  Mass.,  Dec.  23,  1864.  He  attend- 
ed St.  Mary's  College,  Montreal,  Canada, 
the  Harvard  Medical  School  (graduate),  and 
the  City  Hospital  of  Boston,  having  served 
two  years  at  the  latter  institution  as  house 
physician.  He  is  at  present  engaged  in 
general  practice  at  the  South  End  of  the 
city. 

4'  Reilly,  James  A.,  dentist,  born  in  Eng- 
land, Dec.  25,  1854.  He  immigrated  to  the 
United  States  in  i860,  settling  first  in  Lowell, 
Mass.  He  graduated  at  the  public  school. 
Having  a  decided  inclination  for  music,  he 
made  it  a  study  for  several  years,  and  for  a 
time  attended  the  New  England  Conservatory 
of  Music,  but  finally  abandoned  it  as  a  profes- 
sion. He  then  entered  Boston  College,  where 
he  received  a  three  years'  course.  In  1878 
he  became  a  student  at  the  Harvard  Dental 
School,  and  graduated  in  1 88 1.  He  immedi- 
ately commenced  the  practice  of  dentistry, 
and  for  about  three  years  was  located  at  the 
West  End,  during  which  time  he  also  con- 
ducted the  music  at  St.  Joseph's  Catholic 
Church.  In  1884  he  opened  an  office.  Since 
18S6  he  has  been  musical  director  at  the 
Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  Mai- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


307 


den,  Mass.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Union,  Charitable  Irish  Society,  Clover  Club, 
Harvard  Odontological  Society,  Massachu- 
setts Medical  Society,  the  "Cecilia,"  and  the 
Young  Men's  Catholic  Association  of  Boston 
College. 

A.jL.  ROCHE,  D.  F.,  physician,  born  in  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.,  March  I,  1846.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  of  Cambridge,  St.  Charles 
College,  Baltimore,  St.  Hyacinthe  College, 
Canada,  Troy  Seminary,  Boston  Univer- 
sity, and  University  of  New  York,  grad- 
uating at  the  Medical  School  of  the  latter 
institution  in  1SS3.  He  practised  one  year 
in  the  Bellevue  Hospital,  and  afterwards  re- 
moved to  Boston,  where  he  has  been  located 
since.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Mass.  Eclectic 
Medical    Society,   Suffolk    District   Medical 


Society,  and   the  National  Eclectic  Medical 
Association. 

^  J  Shea,  Thomas  B.,  physician,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, March  9,  1862.  He  graduated  at  the 
Brimmer  School,  Holy  Cross  College,  and 
Harvard  Medical  School,  receiving  the  degree 
of  M.D.  from  the  latter.  On  Aug.  I,  1887, 
he  was  appointed  assistant  resident  phy- 
sician of  Long  and  Rainsford  islands,  but 
resigned  May  1,  18S8,  to  accept  his  present 
position  as  Assistant  Port  Physician. 

I/Young,  John  F.,  physician,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, May  20,  1859.  He  attended  the  pub- 
lic and  Latin  schools,  and  graduated  from  the 
Harvard  Medical  School  in  1881.  He  is 
now  engaged  in  practice  at  South  Boston, 
and  has  been  a  Director  of  the  City  Hospital 
since   1886. 


In  order  that  the  names  of   other    physicians  may  be  known  whose  sketches  do  not 
appear,  through  no  faulf.  of  ours,  we  append  this  list :  — 


Blake,  John  G. 
Boland,  E.  S. 
Broderick,  T.  J. 
Broidrick,  James  P. 
Buckley,  P.  F. 
Butler,  N.  H. 
Campbell,  B.  F. 
Cochrane,  J.  M. 
Collins,  D.  A. 
Doherty,  Hugh. 
Dunn,  C.  S. 
Ferguson,  Hugh. 
Ferry,  James  F. 
Finn,  James  A. 
Fitzgerald,  Orrin,  Jr. 
Foley,  Walter. 
Galyin,  George  \V. 
Gayin,  George  F. 
Gayin,  M.  F. 
Gavin,  P.  F. 


Gillispie,  John. 
Gilman,  E.  A. 
Harkins,  Daniel  S. 
Higgins,  Henry  R. 
Kinney,  John  E. 
Lyons,  W.  J. 
McCarty,  George  E. 
McGlynn,  Edward. 
McGowan,  Dennis  J. 
McIntyre,  David. 
McLaughlin,  James  A. 
McLaughlin,  Joseph  I. 
Murphy,  Joseph  P. 
Murray,  I.  H. 
O'Donnell,  William. 
O'Keefe,  M.  W. 
Walsh,  M.  J. 
Walsh,  Peter  D. 
White,  Robert. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES 


OF 


BOSTON    JOURNALISTS 


JAMES    JEFFREY    ROCHE. 


SKETCHES    OF    BOSTON    JOURNALISTS. 


i  Barry,  Edward  P.,  journalist,  born  in 
South  Boston,  Nov.  28,  1864.  He  attended 
the  public  schools,  and  also  received  private 
instruction  for  the  priesthood,  but  subse- 
quently abandoned  his  studies  in  this  direc- 
tion. He  was  engaged  in  mercantile  posi- 
tions for  a  time  after  leaving  school,  but  at 
the  age  of  nineteen  he  entered  the  journal- 
istic field  and  became  editor  and  part  owner 
of  the  "  South  Boston  News."  He  later 
became  attached  to  the  staff  of  the  Boston 
"Daily  Advertiser  "  and  "  Evening  Record," 
as  an  assistant  in  the  sporting  department. 
In  January,  1887,  he  acted  as  carnival  corre- 
spondent for  the  Boston  "  Herald,"  at  Mon- 
treal, Can.,  and  Burlington,  Vt.  A  few 
months  afterward  he  was  appointed  assistant 
sporting  editor  of  that  paper,  which  position 
he  held  until  quite  recently.  He  is  at  pres- 
ent a  medical  student,  but  is  also  engaged  as 
a  special  writer  on  the  "  Herald  "  staff,  and 
an  editor  of  one  of  the  weekly  papers  in  the 
peninsular  district.  He  also  represents  Ward 
15  in  the  Common  Council  of  1889. 

■*s  Buckley,  Eugene,  journalist,  born  in 
Florida,  Mass.,  Oct.  12,  1856.  In  1868  he 
removed  to  Boston,  where  he  has  resided 
ever  since.  He  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools,  and  supplemented  his  education 
by  private  study.  He  learned  cabinet-mak- 
ing, serving  an  apprenticeship  with  Dee 
Bros.  Afterward  he  was  employed  by  the 
Fitchburg  Railroad  in  the  capacity  of  fore- 
man of  the  car  department,  remaining  there 
about  six  years.  He  has  always  had  an  am- ' 
bition  for  newspaper  work,  as  his  regular 
trade  was  not  congenial  to  him.  In  March, 
1887,    he     was    engaged     by    the    Boston 


"  Globe "  as  a  general  writer,  with  sporting 
news  as  a  specialty.  In  a  short  time  after  his 
engagement  on  the  paper  he  was  recognized 
as  a  valuable  man  on  general  sports,  and 
his  progress  as  a  chronicler  in  the  sporting 
field  has  been  decidedly  satisfactory.  He  was 
therefore  duly  appointed  aquatic  editor  and 
society  reporter  of  the  "  Globe,"  — positions 
which  he  now  occupies.  During  the  season 
of  1888  he  published  the  "Base-Ball  Rec- 
ord." 

J.  Burns,  Edward  F.,  journalist,  born  in 
Natick,  Mass.,  April  22,  1 859.  He  graduated 
from  the  Natick  High  jchool  in  1876,  and 
from  Boston  College  w  ch  honor  as  poet  of 
his  class  in  18S0.  He  studied  medicine  two 
years,  but  changed  his  intention  and  joined 
the  Boston  "  Globe  "  staff  as  reporter  in  1884. 
During  his  engagement  with  that  paper  he- 
has  been  reporter,  assistant  to  day  and  night- 
editors,  and  also  night  city  editor.  He  be- 
came editor  and  manager  of  the  Salem 
"Times"  in  1887,  for  a  short  period,  but 
returned  to  the  "  Globe  "  the  latter  part  of 
the  same  year.  He  is  at  present  performing 
the  duties  of  reporter.  He  was  the  first 
historian  of  the  Boston  College  Alumni  As- 
sociation, and  is  now  a  member  of  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Class  of  '80. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Entertainment  Com- 
mittee of  the  Boston  Press  Club,  and  also  a 
member  of  the  Hendricks  Club.  He  was  the 
first  reporter  to  get  a  copy  of  the  first  volume 
of  "Blaine's  Twenty  Years  of  Congress," 
receiving  the  same  simultaneously  with  the 
author,  allowing  the  "  Globe  "  to  get  an  "  ex- 
clusive "  on  other  papers.  He  recently  made 
an  excellent  record  in   reporting  the  Stain- 


(311) 


312 


THE    IRISH   IN   BOSTON. 


t 


Cromwell  trial  at  Bangor  for  his  paper.  He 
is  a  gentleman  of  acknowledged  literary 
ability,  an  author  of  many  taking  verses, 
notably  those  published  at  the  time  of  the 
yachting  contests  of  1887.  When  quite 
young  he  was  a  successful  contributor  to  the 
"Youth's  Companion,"  under  the  nom  de 
plume  of  "  Raleigh." 

Carmody,  John  D.,  journalist,  born  in 
South  Boston,  Aug.  24,  1864.  He  graduated 
from  the  Lawrence  Grammar  School  in 
1878,  and  attended  the  English  High  School 
for  two  years.  He  was  first  employed  in  the 
counting-room  of  the  "Daily  Advertiser;  " 
afterward  as  shipping  clerk  in  a  sugar  refin- 
ery; but  in  January,  1885,  he  became 
attached  to  the  reportorial  staff  of  the  "  Daily 
Advertiser  "  and  "  Evening  Record,"  and  for 
a  few  years  was  the  South  Boston  representa- 
tive of  those  papers.  He  was  subsequently 
transferred  to  a  place  on  the  city  staff,  which 
he  held  until  April,  188S,  when  he  accepted 
a  position  on  the  staff  of  the  Boston  "  Her- 
ald," where  he  is  now  employed.  He  was 
for  five  years  a  member  of  the  dramatic  class 
of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul's  Church,  and  has 
made  a  local  reputation  in  amateur  theatri- 
cals. He  is  a  member  of  a  number  of  social 
organizations  in  the  South  Boston  district. 

$  Cummings,  Thomas  H,  business  manager, 
Boston  "Pilot,"  born  in  Boston,  June  15, 
1856.  He  graduated  from  the  Mayhew 
School  in  1870,  attended  the  Latin  School, 
and  later  St.  Charles  College,  where  he  com- 
pleted the  regular  course  in  1876.  He  de- 
livered the  address  of  welcome  to  the  presid- 
ing officers  at  the  commencement   exercises 

,  of  the  latter  institution,  in  the  presence  of 
Bishop  Becker,  of  Delaware,  and  Gov.  John 
Lee  Carroll,  of  Maryland.  He  subsequently 
resided  in  Paris  for  two  years,  and  studied 
philosophy  at  Issy  under  the  Sulpicians.  In 
1878  he  returned  to  Boston,  and  became 
attached  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Public 
Library  as  curator,  where  he  remained  until 
1885,  when  he  entered  the  office  of  the 
Boston   "  Pilot."     He  is    a    member  of  the 


First  Corps  of  Cadets,  Webster  Historical 
Society,  Megantic  Fish  and  Game  Club, 
Young  Men's  Catholic  Association,  and  a 
Director  of  the  Working  Boys'  Home. 

■■■■  Curran,  Michael  P.,  journalist.  Mr. 
Curran's  active  journalistic  career  began  in 
1873,  although  he  had  been  a  frequent  con- 
tributor to  several  papers  in  New  York  and 
Boston  earlier  than  that  time.  He  wrote 
vacation  letters  for  the  Boston  "  Pilot,"  and 
supplied  editorial  matter  on  current  topics. 
After  three  years'  experience  in  a  large 
wholesale  dry-goods  establishment  in  Boston, 
he  joined  the  staff  of  the  Boston  "  Globe." 
Mr.  M.  M.  Ballou  had  just  retired  from  the 
management  of  that  journal  and  had  been 
succeeded  by  Mr.  Clarence  S.  Wason.  Mr. 
Curran  began  as  a  suburban  reporter.  His 
district  included  Lynn  and  Salem.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1873,  he  was  appointed  on  the  regular 
reportorial  staff.  In  1874,  during  the  famous 
campaign  which  terminated  in  the  election  of 
William  Gaston  as  governor  and  the  over- 
throw of  six  Republican  congressional  can- 
didates, Mr.  Curran  conducted  the  local 
political  department  of  the  paper,  and  dis- 
played an  aptitude  for  that  line  of  work 
which  developed  and  broadened  later  on. 
In  1875  he  became  night  editor  of  the 
"  Globe,"  and  served  with  credit  to  himself 
and  the  paper  in  that  important  capacity  for 
over  two  years.  In  1877  tfte  "  Sunday 
Globe  "  was  launched  by  Colonel  Taylor  and 
Mr.  E.  M.  Bacon,  who  were  then  the  direc- 
tors and  controllers  of  the  company's  inter- 
ests. Mr.  Curran  was  placed  in  charge  of 
the  editorial  department,  and  to  his  untir- 
ing and  intelligent  efforts  much  of  the  suc- 
cess of  that  enterprise  is  due.  In  1881  he 
managed  the  editorial  department  of  the 
"  Daily  Globe "  as  well  as  of  the  Sunday 
edition,  and  he  controlled  and  directed  the 
opinions  of  both  papers  until  his  retirement 
from  active  journalism  in  1883,  when  he  re- 
signed to  accept  the  post  of  Police  Commis- 
sioner. In  addition  to  his  duties  in  the 
office  of  the  "  Globe  "  he  was  for  six  years, 
from  1877  till  1883,  the  New  England  corre- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


313 


spondent  of  the  New  York  "  Herald."  After 
the  bill  enacted  by  the  Legislature  of  1885, 
providing  for  the  transfer  of  the  police  de-. 
partment  from  city  to  State  control,  had 
become  operative,  Mr.  Curran  joined  the 
editorial  staff  of  the  "  Saturday  Evening 
Gazette,"  and  remained  in  that  service  for 
about  thirteen  months.  He  resigned  in  Oc- 
tober, 1SS6,  and  devoted  himself  to  miscella- 
neous literary  and  journalistic  work,,  until 
September,  1S87,  when  he  was  commissioned 
by  the  President  of  the  United  States  as 
assistant  appraiser  of  merchandise  at  the  port 
of  Boston. 

Mr.  Curran,  in  his  twelve  or  thirteen  years 
of  active  journalism,  took  a  prominent  part 
in  many  events  which  have  gone  into  the 
permanent  history  of  the  country.  In  1874, 
when  the  people  of  the  United  States  were 
startled,  shocked,  and  incensed  by  the  out- 
rage perpetrated  by  the  Spanish  authorities 
in  seizing  the  "  Virginius  "  and  shooting  a 
portion  of  her  crew  in  Cuba,  he  was  detailed 
to  secure  the  views  of  the  late  Charles  Sum- 
ner on  the  subject.  Mr.  Sumner  was  then  a 
senator  of  the  United  States,  and  his  position 
as  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Foreign 
Relations  imparted  to  his  opinions  great 
weight  and  importance.  After  a  long  and 
diplomatic  interview  the  great  statesman 
consented  to  give  the  young  and  enterprising 
journalist  a  two-column  statement  of  the 
rights  and  duties  of  the  United  States  in  the 
premises,  and  its  publication  in  the  "  Globe  " 
next  morning  created  a  profound  impression 
in  New  England,  and  in  fact  throughout  the 
country. 

When  the  Russian  frigate  anchored  off 
South-west  Harbor  on  the  coast  of  Maine 
during  the  Russo-Turkish  War,  Mr.  Curran 
was  the  representative  of  the  New  York 
"Herald  "  in  Boston.  Mr.  Bennett  commis- 
sioned him  to  call  on  Caleb  Cushing,  the  best 
international  lawyer  then  in  America,  and  get 
a  legal  opinion  from  him  on  the  question  in- 
volved, viz.,  Whether  the  American  govern- 
ment was  violating  the  neutrality  laws  by 
allowing  shelter  to  a  ship  of  war  belonging 
to  one  of  the  belligerents.    Mr.  Curran  spent 


a  day  at  Mr.  Cushing's  residence  in  Newbury- 
port,  and  returned  to  Boston  at  night  with  the 
most  elaborate,  as  it  was  the  most  valuable, 
disquisition  on  the  point  at  issue.  Its  publi- 
cation next  day  in  the  New  York  "  Herald" 
settled  forever  the  vexed  question  which  had 
been  raised,  and  ended  the  controversy. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  cleverest  bits  of  inter- 
viewing ever  done  by  a  journalist  was  done 
by  Mr.  Curran  in  the  celebrated  Freeman 
case.  Freeman,  it  may  be  remembered,  re- 
sided in  the  little  town  of  Pocasset,  in  Barn- 
stable County,  Mass.  He  was  a  wild  fanatic 
in  religion,  and  became  insane  from  constant 
reading  of  the  Bible  and  his  unaided  efforts  to 
interpret  the  true  meaning  of  the  language  of 
the  sacred  volume.  He  reached  the  conclu- 
sion, finally,  that  it  was  his  duty  to  sacrifice 
the  lives  of  his  children,  as  Abraham  had 
been  instructed  to  do  under  the  old  dispen- 
sation. One  morning  the  little  community  was 
startled  by  the  intelligence  that  this  religious 
lunatic  had  actually  killed  his  two  children. 
He  was  arrested  and  lodged  in  the  jail  at 
Barnstable.  Efforts  had  been  made  by 
almost  every  newspaper  in  the  land  to 
secure  an  interview  with  the  prisoner,  but 
in  vain.  He  would  not  talk.  A  reporter 
was  regarded  by  Freeman  as  his  natural 
enemy.  He  refused  to  hold  any  conversa- 
tion with  him  under  any  circumstances.  One 
morning  as  he  was  about  to  eat  his  meal  of 
mush  and  milk,  he  was  introduced  to  a 
stranger,  who  claimed  to  have  come  a  long 
distance  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  the  theo- 
logical and  biblical  questions  surrounding  the 
sacrificial  act.  "Are  you  a  reporter?" 
asked  the  weary  recluse.  "  I  am  a  seeker 
after  truth,"  was  the  response;  "  I  fail  to 
find  any  justification  in  the  Bible  for  your 
course.  I  may  read  it  wrong,  and  if  I  do  I 
want  you  to  set  me  right."  Taking  a  Bible 
out  of  his  pocket  the  stranger  proceeded  to 
read  portions  of  the  Scriptures  on  which 
Freeman  relied  for  his  authority,  and  to  com- 
ment on  them  in  a  way  to  arouse  the 
antagonism  of  the  filicide.  In  a  moment 
there  was  a  hot  and  fiery  debate.  Freeman 
argued  his  side  of  the  case  with  spirit,  and 


314 


THE    IRISH     IN    BOSTON. 


the  stranger  maintained  his  point  as  best  he 
could.  The  stranger  was  Mr.  Michael  P. 
Curran,  the  New  England  correspondent  of 
the  New  York  "  Herald."  He  had  broken  the 
silence  of  the  crazed  Bible  interpreter  and 
had  penetrated  the  secret  he  tried  so  well  to 
guard.  The  result  of  the  interview  was 
printed  two  days  later  in  the  "  Herald,"  and 
it  formed  the  text  for  many  sermons  and 
editorials. 

There  was  another  celebrated  criminal 
case  in  New  England  in  which  Mr.  Curran 
took  a  prominent  and  conspicuous  part.  In 
1875  a  woman  of  somewhat  questionable 
moral  standing  in  Rutland,  Vt.,  was  mur- 
dered in  her  house  in  a  retired  portion  of 
the  city.  The  building  she  occupied  was  set 
on  fire,  and  when  the  flames  had  been  ex- 
tinguished, her  mangled  remains  were  dis- 
covered half  charred  and  badly  mutilated. 
Only  circumstantial  evidence  could  be  pro- 
cured, but  enough  of  that  was  found  to  justify 
the  detectives  in  arresting  one  John  P. 
Phair,  a  friend  of  the  dead  woman,  and  a 
native  and  a  resident  of  the  little  city  of 
Vergennes.  Phair  was  tried,  convicted,  and 
sentenced  to  be  hanged  at  Windsor,  Vt.,  on 
a  certain  Friday  in  April,  1877.  Prior  to 
the  day  set  for  his  execution  he  wrote  and 
intrusted  to  the  late  Mr.  Edward  C.  Carrigan, 
then  a  Dartmouth  College  senior  and  a 
correspondent  of  the  Associate  Press,  a 
statement  intended  for  publication  after  his 
death,  in  which  he  undertook  to  prove  an 
effective  and  complete  alibi.  Phair  stipu- 
lated that  his  defence  should  not  be  curtailed 
or  condensed;  that  if  published  at  all  it 
must  be  published  in  toto,  and  not  until  after 
his  execution.  Mr.  Carrigan  took  the  docu- 
ment to  Boston  and  eventually  disposed  of 
it  to  the  managers  of  the  "  Globe."  It  was 
published  on  the  morning  of  the  day  set  for 
Phair's  death,  and  created  a  local  sensation 
on  account  of  the  clearness,  vigor,  and  logi- 
cal sequence  which  its  writer  brought  to  his 
work.  A  Vermont  man,  doing  business  in  Bos- 
ton, read  it  and  declared  that  he  could  verify 
by  personal  knowledge  and  experience  one 
of  the  most  essential  points  in  the  paper.    He 


proceeded  to  the  "  Globe  "  office  and  induced 
Col.  Chas.  H.  Taylor,  then,  as  now,  mana- 
ger of  that  journal,  to  telegraph  to  Governor 
Fairbanks  for  a  reprieve  long  enough  to 
allow  him  to  appear  and  give  his  testimony. 
The  reprieve  was  granted  for  thirty  days. 
Mr.  Curran  was  despatched  to  Vermont  next 
day  to  look  into  the  matter,  and  he  collected, 
in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Carrigan,  enough 
evidence  to  warrant  the  granting  of  a  further 
respite  by  the  governor  for  two  years,  in 
order  that  proceedings  for  the  reopening  of 
the  case  by  order  of  the  Legislature  might  be 
taken.  Mr.  Curran  collected  his  documents 
together,  and  laid  them  before  Governor 
Fairbanks,  presenting  them  in  an  argument 
of  half  an  hour's  duration,  which  so  im- 
pressed the  executive  that  he  postponed  the 
execution,  as  stated  already. 

In  1881,  when  President  Garfield  was  shot 
by  Guiteau,  Mr.  Curran  was  at  the  head  of 
the  editorial  forces  of  the  "  Globe."  The 
leading  New  England  papers  of  the  liberal 
stripe,  and  even  some  Republican  organs, 
forecast  great  danger  to  the  republic  in  the 
event  of  Arthur's  accession.  The  "Globe" 
took  the  opposite  view.  It  maintained  that 
no  man's  life  was  necessary  to  the  safety  or 
peace  of  the  country;  that  the  American 
people  were  a  self-governing  and  a  law-abid- 
ing people,  and  that  Mr.  Arthur  as  their 
servant  could  only  execute  their  will.  Mr. 
Curran  was  rewarded  by  assurances  from 
all  over  New  England  that  he  had  struck  the 
proper  key-note,  and  the  paper,  holding  fast 
to  that  policy,  gained  in  reputation  and  in- 
creased its  prosperity.  When  Garfield  died, 
the  same  spirit  animated  the  editorial  com- 
ments. The  memorial  number  of  the 
"  Globe,"  which  was  published  a  week  later, 
containing  poetic  tributes  from  Oliver  Wen- 
dell Holmes,  John  Boyle  O'Reilly,  Mrs.  M. 
E.  Blake,  Rev.  M.  J.  Savage,  and  others  was 
in  part  the  result  of  Mr.  Curran's  enterprise 
and  effort. 

In  the  Land  League  movement  in  America, 
for  the  support  of  the  Irish  agitation,  Mr. 
Curran  took  a  prominent  part.  It  was  he 
who    first    convinced    the    managers    of    the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


315 


"Globe"  that  it  would  be  good  policy,  as 
well  as  good  journalism,  to  espouse  the  cause 
of  the  struggling  Irish.  The  paper  took  its 
stand  editorially  in  favor  of  the  constitutional 
movement  for  land  reform,  and  in  this  it  was 
the  pioneer  among  the  New  England  press. 
Mr.  Curran  attended  the  conventions  at  Buf- 
falo in  iSSi,  in  Washington  in  1882,  and  in 
Philadelphia  in  1883,  both  as  a  delegate  and 
as  a  newspaper  correspondent,  and  contrib- 
uted, by  his  pen  and  his  vote,  to  promote  the 
object  sought  to  be  accomplished,  an  object 
which  later  on  compelled  the  sanction  and 
support  of  the  entire  American  press. 

J  Deely,  Joseph  M.,  district  reporter  of  the 
Boston  "  Daily  Globe,"  born  in  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  Dec.  28,  1871.  He  was  graduated 
from  the  Thorndike  Grammar  School,  June 
20,  1886,  and  attended  the  Evening  High 
School.  He  entered  the  "  Globe  "  office  as 
office  boy  during  the  latter  year. 

a  Dennison,  Joseph  A.,  reporter,  born  in 
Andover,  Mass.,  Aug.  19,  1867.  He  at- 
tended Phillips  Andover  Academy  for  two 
years,  intending  to  enter  Dartmouth  College, 
but  was  obliged,  on  account  of  domestic  dif- 
ficulties, to  leave  before  graduation.  He 
first  entered  newspaper  work  on  the  staff  of 
the  Andover  "  Advertiser,"  and  subsequently 
assumed  the  editorship  of  the  Lawrence 
"American"  at  the  early  age  of  eighteen. 
He  joined  the  Boston  "  Globe  "  staff  as  re- 
porter in  February,  1888,  and  was  promoted 
to  the  position  of  assistant  sporting  editor  in 
June,  1888. 

v)  Donovan,  William  F.,  journalist,  born  in 
Boston,  Dec.  29,  1867.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  this  city, 
and  afterward  was  employed  as  office  boy 
with  the  "  Evening  Transcript "  for  a  few 
months,  when  he  left  to  occupy  a  similar 
position  with  the  Boston  "  Herald."  After 
three  months  in  the  latter  office  he  was  pro- 
moted, and  has  risen  steadily  since  then.  He 
has  been  with  the  "  Herald "  for  about  six 
years,    and   is  at  present  in   the  exchange 


department.  He  also  has  charge  of  the 
"Catholic  Church  News"  column  of  the 
"  Herald,"  which  is  published  twice  a  week. 
He  is  a  regular  contributor  to  "  Donahoe's 
Monthly  Magazine,"  and  during  1888  was 
the  author  of  the  regular  monthly  article  of 
"A  Bostonian  in  New  York,"  which  will 
soon  appear  in  book  form.  He  is  the 
president  of  the  St.  Joseph's  Young  Men's 
Association,  a  member  of  the  Hendricks 
Club  and  of  the  Boston  Press  Club.  Like 
his  brother,  Senator  Edward  J.  Donovan,  he 
early  showed  a  taste  for  politics,  and  although 
he  has  but  just  cast  his  maiden  vote,  he  is 
often  referred  to  by  his  associates  on  the 
"  Herald"  as  a  walking  political  encyclo- 
paedia. 

Mr.  Donovan  has  always  been  a  warm 
friend  of  the  Evening  High  School,  and  has 
appeared  several  times  with  the  late  Mr. 
E.  C.  Carrigan  and  pupils  of  the  school, 
before  legislative  committees,  advocating  the 
introduction  of  new  studies  into  that  school. 
He  was  appointed  a  member  of  a  committee 
of  five  to  represent  the  school  at  the  funeral 
of  the  great  educator,  John  D.  Philbrick. 
In  1886,  out  of  a  class  of  about  seventy 
pupils  but  twenty-one  received  diplomas  in: 
phonography.  Of  this  number,  Mr.  Dono- 
van was  one. 

'  Drohan,  John  J.,  reporter  for  Boston. 
"  Daily  Globe,"  born  in  South  Boston,  Aug. 
22,  1866.  Mr.  Drohan  became  celebrated  as 
one  of  the  best  Indian-club  swingers  in  this 
country,  and  won  many  important  matches 
up  to  his  tenth  year;  when  but  thirteen  years 
old  he  won  the  championship  of  America 
in  the  games  of  the  Irish  Athletic  Club. 
His  boyhood  was  spent  in  travelling  and  ap- 
pearing in  the  leading  theatres  of  the  States. 
He  secured  much  of  his  education  on  the 
road,  and  while  at  home  he  attended  the 
sessions  of  the  Lawrence  School  in  South 
Boston.  He  entered  the  law  office  of  Judge 
Charles  Levi  Woodbury,  where  he  copied 
briefs  on  a  high  stool  and  read  law.  He  was 
encouraged  by  Judge  Woodbury;  but  when 
the   "Evening  Record"  was    published,  in 


316 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


1884,  Mr.  Drohan  was  one  of  the  first  appli- 
cants. He  had  been  connected  with  the 
South  Boston  "Tribune,"  which  helped  him 
to  a  position  on  the  "  Record."  He  did  dis- 
trict local  work  for  three  months,  and  was 
promoted  to  night  local  reporter,  and  for  a 
year  did  good  work.  The  advent  of  the 
"  Sunday  Record "  gave  Mr.  Drohan  the 
opportunity  to  do  some  good  special  work. 
He  was  the  sporting  editor  of  the  "  Sunday 
Record,"  the  "  Advertiser's"  night  local,  and 
wrote  a  weekly  letter  on  "  Green-Room  Gos- 
sip," signed  "Jay  Dee."  His  attack  on  Boston 
gambling-houses  created  a  sensation  at  the 
time,  and  resulted  ultimately  in  the  breaking 
up  of  some  notorious  places.  He  also  cov- 
ered the  Charles-river  mystery,  the  Mellen 
conspiracy  case,  and  the  William  Gray  em- 
bezzlement and  suicide.  His  base-ball  letters 
in  the  "  Record "  attracted  attention  in 
sporting  circles,  and  resulted  in  his  being 
employed  by  the  "  Globe  "  for  the  season  of 
1 888.  Mr.  Drohan  is  a  member  of  the 
Monopole  Club,  which  includes  among  its 
members  Henry  E.  Dixey,  Nat  Goodwin,  M. 
J.  Kelly,  W.  H.  Crane,  Foster  Farrar,  John 
Graham,  E.  E.  Rice,  and  many  other  clever 
gentlemen.  He  has  been  secretary  of  the 
club  for  two  years.  His  only  literary  work 
outside  of  his  newspaper  was  the  preparation 
of  M.  J.  Kelly's  book,  "  Play  Ball." 

•A  Drohan,  William  L.,  reporter,  born  in 
Boston,  Feb.  1,  1867.  He  attended  the 
Lawrence  Grammar  School  of  South  Boston, 
graduating  in  1883.  He  then  took  a  three- 
years  course  at  Boston  College.  He  was 
first  employed  for  a  short  time  on  the 
reportorial  staff  of  the  "Evening  Record." 
On  Jan.  I,  1888,  he  became  connected 
with  the  Boston  "  Globe "  as  an  assistant 
night  local  reporter.  He  was  promoted, 
March  9,  to  the  position  of  a  full-fledged 
night  local  reporter  on  the  staff. 

\-*-  Dunphy,  James  W.,  part  owner  of  the 
Boston  "  Daily  Advertiser  "  and  "  Evening 
Record."  Born  in  Ireland  in  1 844,  and  came 
to  Boston  in  1850.     He  attended  the  Brim- 


mer Grammar  School  until  1856,  and  was  then 
engaged  to  work  in  the  office  of  the  Boston 
"  Daily  Atlas."  In  1857  the  "  Atlas  "  consoli- 
dated with  the  Boston  "  Traveller,"  and  Mr. 
Dunphy  remained  in  the  "  Traveller  "  office 
until  i860;  he  then  became  a  book-keeper  in 
the  office  of  the  "  Commercial  Bulletin,"  and 
remained  there  until  1864,  when  he  trans- 
ferred his  labors  to  the  "  Traveller  "  office. 
In  1869  he  acquired  a  part  ownership  of  the 
"Traveller,"  and  spent  many  years  of  valu- 
able services  on  that  newspaper.  He  re- 
signed his  position  on  the  paper  in  1886,  on 
account  of  dissatisfaction  with  the  manage- 
ment and  surroundings.  In  1887  he  entered 
the  office  of  the  Boston  "  Daily  Advertiser  " 
and  "  Evening  Record,"  and  upon  the  re- 
organization of  the  "  Advertiser  "  Newspaper 
Co.,  in  1888,  Mr.  Dunphy  became  one  of  the 
owners  of  both  journals,  and  the  good  basis 
on  which  the  present  success  of  the  two 
dailies  rest  is  partly  due  to  his  business  man- 
agement. He  was  the  first  president  of  the 
Catholic  Total  Abstinence  Union,  and  the 
first  president  and  vice-president  of  the 
Young  Men's  Catholic  Association,  and  he 
has  been  the  president  and  is  a  director  of  the 
Home  for  Destitute  Catholic  Children. 

S^  Evans,  Thomas  P.,  journalist,  born  in 
Tipperary,  Ireland,  March  29,  1849.  He 
was  first  educated  in  Clifden,  and  afterward 
at  Quain.  He  was  later  employed  in  the 
Home  Rule  interest  by  Alfred  Crilly,  brother 
of  Daniel  Crilly,  Home  Rule  member  of 
Parliament  from  Mayo.  He  was  a  frequent 
contributor  for  the  cause  in  the  "Finan- 
cial Reform  Gazette,"  of  which  his  em- 
ployer was  editor.  His  father  suffered 
imprisonment  for  organizing  a  body  of  citi- 
zens to  give  a  reception  to  Daniel  O'Connell 
on  the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  Clifden.  Mr. 
Evans  has  been  connected  with  the  sporting 
department  of  the  Boston  "  Globe "  for  a 
year  past. 

H  Flanagan,  John  S.,  editor  and  publisher, 
born  in  Boston  (Charlestown  District)  in 
1 85 1.     He  was   educated  at  the  Winthrop 


BIO  GRAPHICAL   SKE  TCHES. 


317 


Grammar  School  and  French's  Business  Col- 
lege. Subsequently  he  learned  the  printer's 
trade,  at  which  he  was  employed  until  1884. 
In  that  year  he  became  connected  with  the 
Charlestown  "  Enterprise,"  and  is  now  its 
editor  and  publisher.  During  his  manage- 
ment he  has  displayed  more  than  ordinary 
"  enterprise  "  in  making  the  paper  a  success, 
both  financially  and  editorially.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Boston  Press  Club  and  the 
Suburban  Press  Association. 

\3  Forrester,  Arthur  M.,  journalist,  born 
in    Ballytrain,    County   Monaghan,  Ireland, 
Jan.  9,   1850.     He  first  attended  the  Shan- 
tonagh  National  School,  but  by  the  death  of 
his  father,  when  he  was  nine  years  of  age,  he 
was  compelled  to  go  to  work  in  a  printing- 
office  in  England.     He  finished  his  education 
under  the  tutelage  of  his  mother,  Ellen  For- 
rester, a  popular  Irish  poetess,  and  learned 
the   trade   of  a   printer.     He  early  in   life 
displayed  literary  ability,  and  in  1 865  was  a 
contributor  to  the  "  Irish  People,"  under  the 
nom   de  plume  of  "  Angus."     One   of  his 
articles  in  the  suppressed  edition  was  quoted 
by  the  attorney-general  in  his  opening  state- 
ment against  O'Donovan  Rossa.     He  went 
to   Dublin  to  take    part  in   an  anticipated 
Fenian  movement,  in  December,  1865,  and 
remained  there  until  after  the  suspension  of 
the  habeas  corpus   act,   in    February,   1866. 
In   1867  he  led  two  circles  of  the  Manches- 
ter Fenians  in  the  abortive  raid  on  Chester 
Castle,    after  which    he   again  returned   to 
Dublin,  and  on  March  9  was  arrested  and 
sentenced  to   imprisonment  for  one  year  at 
hard    labor  for  carrying    arms    in   a   "pro- 
claimed"   district.     On   his    release  he  was 
elected    organizer   and   arms  agent   of    the 
North  of  England  Division  of  the  I.  R.  B., 
and     was     again     arrested     on     Dec.    16, 
1869,  in  Liverpool.      After   three  examina- 
tions, in  which   he    defended  himself,    was 
discharged   on   £200  bail  to  keep  the  peace 
for  twelve    months.      In    1870  he  joined  a 
company  of  franc-tireurs,  and  served  under 
Generals  DAurelle  de  Paladine  and  Chanzy 
daring  the  Franco-German  War.      At    the 


battle  of  Conneret,  in  the  series  of  engage- 
ments around  Le  Maus,  on  Jan.  8,  1871,  he 
was  promoted  sous-lieutenant    for  saving  a 
battery  after  the  lieutenant    and    every  ser- 
geant   of   the    company   had    been    killed. 
From    1871    to    1874  he  acted  as  organizer 
and   arms   agent    for  the  S.   C.    in    Ulster, 
England,  and  Scotland.     In  August  of  the 
latter  year  he  lost  his  right  foot  by  a  railway 
accident,  and  devoted  himself  thereafter  to 
literature,  until  1882,  when  he  again  actively 
engaged   in   revolutionary  work  in   Dublin. 
His  name  was  frequently  mentioned  in  the 
Phoenix  Park  trials  in  connection  with  those 
of  Joe  Brady,  Fagan,  and  Joe  Mullett.     He 
succeeded  in   getting   away,    however,  and 
came  to  this  country.     For  three  years,  be- 
ginning with  1884,  he  was  assistant  editor  of 
the   "Irish  World."     In  October,   1887,  he 
joined  the    proof-reading  staff  of  the   Bos- 
ton "  Herald,"  his  present  position.     He  has 
published  one  volume  of  poems,  "  Songs  of 
the   Rising  Nation,"  and   is   the   author  of 
two   popular   lyrics  sung  in  Ireland,  "  Our 
Land   Shall    be    Free"    and   "The    Felon 
of  our   Land."     He   is   also  the  author  of 
a  volume  of  Irish  Songs  and  Stories,  which 
is   now    in    press.       He    is   a   member    of 
Typographical  Union  No.   13,  the  Ancient 
Order   of  Foresters,  and   the   Clan-na-Gael 
Society. 

IL 

I    Fitzwilliam,   Edward,  editor,  born  in 

Riverstown  Co.,  Sligo,  Ireland,  April  15, 1833. 
He  emigrated,  April  7,  1854.  His  early 
education  was  obtained  at  the  National  School, 
Drumfin,  and  at  Leonard's  Advanced  School, 
in  the  land  of  his  birth.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen years  he  went  to  work  for  his  father  in  a 
linen  and  woollen  manufactory,  and  thorough- 
ly learned  the  details  of  the  business.  After 
his  father's  death  and  the  departure  of  his 
brother  for  America,  although  but  eighteen 
years  of  age,  he  continued  in  the  manu- 
facture of  these  industries  for  four  years. 
When  he  came  to  this  country  every 
fibre  of  the  suit  which  he  wore  was  "  Irish," 
and  made  by  his  own  hands.  When  only 
nineteen  years  old,  two  pieces  of  tweed  man- 


318 


THE    IRISH   IN  BOSTON. 


ufactured  by  him  received  first  and  second 
prizes  at  the  Markree  Castle  cattle-show. 
For  seventeen  years  after  his  arrival  in  this 
country  he  continued  in  the  same  line  of  busi- 
ness, and  worked  at  Lawrence,  Lowell,  and 
Watertown,  Mass.,  for  several  years,  acting  as 
overseer  in  the  y£tna  Mills  of  the  latter  place. 
Owing  to  ill-health  he  subsequently  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business,  which  he  con- 
ducted successfully  for  six  years.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1885,  he  published  a  weekly  paper, 
"The  Boston  Sentinel,"  advocating  protec- 
tion to  American  industry.  During  the  two 
years  which  he  was  editor  and  publisher  he 
wrote  several  Irish  national  songs,  a  collec- 
tion of  which  he  subsequently  published  in 
pamphlet  form.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
about  every  Irish  national  organization  from 
the  time  of  O'Connell  to  the  present  date, 
and  is  now  Massachusetts  State  Organizer  of 
the  Irish  National  League.  In  the  presiden- 
tial campaign  of  1888  he  was  an  active  Irish 
Republican,  and  made  a  number  of  addresses 
throughout  New  York  State. 

\  /  Fuller,  John  E.,  reporter,  born  in  East 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  July  19,  1868.  He  left 
school  at  eighteen  years  of  age,  went  to  work 
at  the  Mutual  Union  Telegraph  Co.  Sub- 
sequently he  did  local  work  for  the  Boston 
"  Daily  Globe,"  and  is  at  present  employed  in 
the  office  of  the  managing  editor. 

,  I  Fynes,  John  T.,  reporter  for  the  Boston 
"  Herald,"  born  in  Boston,  July  23, 1861,  and 
graduated  from  the  Phillips  Grammar  School 
in  1874;  thence  he  engaged  in  mercantile 
life  until  1883,  when  he  joined  the  "  Herald  " 
staff.  He  has  been  the  dramatic  critic  for 
the  New  York  "  Clipper  "  for  five  years,  and 
occasional  correspondent  for  other  New  York 
papers.  During  the  past  year,  as  police  court 
reporter  for  the  Boston  "Herald"  he  has 
done  interesting  work,  and  his  humorous 
style  has  made  the  court  reports  a  marked 
feature  for  the  paper. 

.  \  Hopkins,  William  A.,  news  editor,  born 
in  Boston,  June  26,  1S64.     He  removed  to 


Ohio  when  quite  young,  and  attended  the 
Zanesville,  Ohio,  Latin  School  and  St.  Colum- 
ba's  Academy,  from  both  of  which  he  grad- 
uated. He  began  newspaper  work,  after 
leaving  school,  as  reporter  and  then  city  edi- 
tor of  the  Zanesville  "  Daily  Times,"  remain- 
ing with  the  paper  about  five  years.  He  was 
later  the  Ohio  correspondent  of  the  New 
York  "  World  "  and  the  Chicago  "  Times." 
He  was  also  manager  and  part  owner  of  the 
Zanesville  "News."  In  1884  he  was  elected 
the  first  secretary  of  the  Jefferson  Club,  a 
Democratic  organization  taking  an  active 
part  in  Ohio  politics.  In  January,  188S,  he 
became  employed  by  the  Boston  "  Globe," 
as  news  editor,  where  he  is  now  engaged. 

J  ^Keenan,  Thomas  F.,  journalist,  and  as  a 
widely  experienced  and  as  an  efficient  all- 
round  newspaper  writer  is  unexcelled.  He  was 
born  in  Boston  in  1854;  attended  the  May- 
hew  Grammar  and  English  High  schools,  and 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Boston  "  Daily  Ad- 
vertiser "  (in  the  editorial  department),  as 
office-boy,  in  1869.  In  1870  and  '71  he  was 
employed  in  reportorial  work,  latterly  as  night 
local  reporter.  From  1872  to  18S5  he  was 
a  reporter  on  the  Boston  "  Herald,"  doing 
efficient  service  in  every  department  of  the 
journalistic  field.  In  1885  he  joined  the 
Boston  "  Daily  Globe "  staff.  For  many 
years  he  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  politics,  but  not  until  18S7  did  he 
allow  himself  to  be  a  candidate  for  public 
office.  That  year  he  was  elected  to  the 
Boston  Common  Council,  and  was  reelected 
by  a  handsome  majority  in  1888.  In  the 
city  governments  of  '88  and  '89  he  served  on 
many  of  the  most  important  standing  and 
special  committees, — Finance,  Public  Library, 
Police;  also  Special  Committee  on  University 
Course  of  Education,  Resident  and  Non- 
resident City  and  County  Employes,  Sheridan 
Eulogy,  monuments  to  Grant,  Sheridan,  and 
Farragut,  and  Charles-river  Navigation.  The 
effort  to  give  city  laborers  permanent  em- 
ployment, and  which  resulted  in  the  famous 
deadlock  of  two  months  over  the  annual 
appropriation  bill   of  1888,  was  due  to  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


319 


energy.  The  special  commission  appointed 
by  Mayor  Hart  to  consider  a  more  equitable 
standard  or  basis  of  taxes  was  the  result  of 
Mr.  Keenan's  efforts.  The  tablets  which  the 
city  has  ordered  to  be  erected  at  Charles- 
town  on  June  17,  1889,  in  commemoration 
of  the  American  patriots  who  died  at  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  are  also  mementoes 
of  his  untiring  energy  and  patriotism.  He 
has  been  identified  with  much  other  useful 
municipal  legislation.  Mr.  Keenan  is  a 
Democrat  in  the  broadest  sense. 

/  Kelley,  John  W.,  reporter,  born  in  Ire- 
land, May  4,  1859.  He  came  to  America  in 
1865,  landing  in  New  York  City.  He  lived 
there  two  years  and  then  removed  to  Somer- 
ville,  Mass.,  where  he  now  resides  with  his 
parents.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  and  graduated  from  the  Somerville 
High  School  in  the  class  of  1876.  In  the 
fall  of  that  year  he  entered  Ottawa  University, 
Ottawa,  Canada,  remaining  two  years.  He 
afterward  took  a  two-years  course  at  Boston 
College,  graduating  in  the  Class  of  1880.  He 
subsequently  attended  the  Grand  Seminary, 
Montreal,  Canada,  to  study  for  the  priesthood, 
where  he  remained  till  the  summer  of  1882. 
By  the  suggestion  of  the  director  of  the 
latter  institution,  he  took,  the  next  year  fol- 
lowing, worldly  pursuits,  to  test  his  vocation. 
During  his  outside  experience  he  began  writ- 
ing short  stories  and  sketches  for  magazines 
and  weekly  story-papers.  The  work  was  so 
fascinating  to  him  that  he  continued  it,  and 
finally  branched  into  regular  newspaper  work. 
He  was  engaged  on  the  Boston  "  Post "  in  the 
latter  part  of  1882,  and  a  few  months  later 
on  the  Boston  "Globe."  In  the  beginning 
of  1883  he  decided  to  adopt  journalism  as  a 
profession.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  same 
year  he  assumed  the  position  of  City  Editor 
of  the  Cambridge  "Tribune,"  continuing 
also  his  special  work  on  the  "  Post "  and 
"Globe."  In  i885-'86-'87  he  reported  the 
news  of  Cambridge  for  the  "  Globe,"  "  Ad- 
vertiser," "  Record,"  and  "  Post,"  in  addition 
to  his  duties  on  the  "  Tribune."  He  is  now 
attached  to  the  "  Globe  "  only,  preferring  to 


give  more  time  to  story-writing.  He  has 
done  some  good  work  while  on  the  staff  of 
the  latter  paper,  but  by  choice  does  not  sign 
his  articles. 

\ 
j  *  Kenney,  William  F.,  day  editor  of  the 

Boston  "  Daily  Globe,"  born  in  Woburn, 
Mass.,  of  Irish  parents,  June  7,  1861,  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
town.  He  graduated  from  the  Woburn 
Grammar  School  in  1876,  and  the  High 
School  in  the  Class  of  1880.  He  afterward 
took  a  course  in  elocution  and  English 
at  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Commercial  College. 
He  first  began  newspaper-work  in  his  native 
place  as  a  correspondent  for  the  Boston 
"  Globe."  As  a  news-gatherer  he  was  ener- 
getic, reliable,  bright,  and  popular  with  the 
townspeople,  and  was  a  valuable  represent- 
ative for  the  paper.  His  services  were 
duly  rewarded  by  the  management  of  the 
"Globe,"  by  tendering  him  a  position  upon 
the  staff  of  that  paper.  After  a  service  of 
three  years  in  various  departments  at  the 
Boston  office  he  was  promoted  to  the 
position  of  day  news  editor  in  charge  of 
the  evening  edition  of  the  "  Globe,"  the 
position  which  he  now  fills  in  a  creditable 
manner.  In  addition  to  his  regular  work 
he  is  also  correspondent  for  several  journals, 
and  is  the  special  Boston  correspondent  for 
the  New  York  "  Evening  World."  In  Wo- 
burn, where  he  still  resides,  he  is  very  popular, 
and  has  lately  been  honored  with  positions 
of  municipal  management.  Though  a  Dem- 
ocrat in  politics,  he  was  nominated  by  both 
parties  in  1885  as  a  member  of  the  School 
Committee,  and  was  elected  by  the  largest 
vote  ever  cast  in  Woburn  for  any  one  candi- 
date, and  was  reelected  for  three  years  to 
the  same  position.  He  is  also  chairman  of 
the  Evening  School  Committee,  and  has 
been  untiring  in  his  labors  to  advance  the 
efficiency  of  the  evening  schools.  He  is 
one  of  the  prominent  young  Democrats 
of  Middlesex  County,  and  in  the  congres- 
sional contests  of  1884  and  1886  he  was 
secretary  of  the  Fifth  District  Democratic 
Congressional  Committee.     In  1889  he  was 


320 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


elected  the    auditor   of  the  Woburn  School 
Board. 

^_J)  Kenniff,  Daniel  J.,  journalist,  born  in 
Boston,  Oct.  7,  1S61.  He  attended  the 
Quincy  Grammar  School,  Evening  High 
School,  Allen  Stenographic  Institute,  and  also 
supplemented  his  education  by  a  course  of 
home  study.  In  1S74,  at  the  age  of  thirteen, 
he  became  employed  as  a  cash-boy  in  a  large 
dry-goods  store,  where  he  worked  for  several 
years  in  different  capacities.  He  afterwards 
studied  law  for  a  year,  but  was  finally  com- 
pelled to  deprive  himself  of  a  course  at  the 
law  school.  From  October,  1SS3,  for  almost 
a  year,  he  was  connected  with  the  "  Journal 
of  Education."  In  September,  18S4,  he 
accepted  a  position  as  private  secretary  to 
Geo.  H.  Ellis,  publisher  of  the  "  Daily 
Advertiser "  and  "  Evening  Record."  In 
December,  1SS4,  he  was  appointed  manager 
of  one  of  the  business  departments,  which 
he  held  until  the  reorganization  of  the  "  Daily 
Advertiser  "  Corporation  in  1SS6.  He  then 
joined  the  staff,  and  for  some  time  thereafter 
did  creditable  work  as  a  writer.  He  has  re- 
cently acted  as  a  special  newspaper  corre- 
spondent, in  addition  to  being  engaged  in 
other  literary  enterprises.  At  the  municipal 
election  in  December,  1886,  he  was  a  regular 
Democratic  nominee  in  Ward  8  for  the  Com- 
mon Council,  and  received  the  largest  num- 
ber of  strictly  Democratic  votes  cast  for  any 
one  candidate.  He  was  appointed  a  justice 
of  the  peace  by  Gov.  Robinson  on  May  5, 
1886;  is  an  active  member  of  the  Boston 
Press  Club,  and  a  life  member  of  both  the 
Boston  Young  Men's  Christian  Union  and 
St.  Joseph's  Young  Men's  Catholic  Associa- 
tion. 

V '  \  Leahy,  William  Augustine,  author, 
born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  July  18,  1867.  He  is 
a  graduate  of  the  Lawrence  Grammar  School, 
Boston  Latin  School,  and  Harvard  Univer- 
sity. He  is  a  young  man  of  much  promise, 
and  has  contributed  much  creditable  work 
to  "  Scribner's  Magazine,"  the  "Harvard 
Monthly,"    and   the    "  Harvard    Advocate." 


His  latest  and  best  literary  production  is  a 
poetical  drama,  "The  Siege  of  Syracuse." 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa 
Society,  the  O.  K.  Society,  the  Mermaid 
Club,  and  the  Harvard  Monthly,  all  of 
Harvard  University. 

•     v. 

A  -'  Low,  John,  reporter,  born  in  Boston,  Feb. 
20,  1852,  and  was  the  second  son  of  James 
and  Mary  Low,  who  emigrated  from  the 
County  Limerick,  Ireland,  in  1S49.  He  at- 
tended the  Eliot  School  until  ten  years  of 
age,  and  moved  with  his  parents  to  Illinois, 
where  he  attended  the  district  schools  during 
the  winter  months.  In  187 1  he  returned  to 
this  State,  and  settled  in  Wakefield,  where  he 
worked  in  the  rattan  factory  for  two  years. 
In  1874  he  graduated  from  the  Union  Busi- 
ness College  in  Boston,  and  later  kept  books. 
In  1877  he  became  connected  with  the  Bos- 
ton "  Daily  Globe  "  as  reporter,  covering  Mai- 
den and  several  other  towns.  His  home  is 
in  Wakefield,  where  he  has  a  wife  and  three 
daughters. 

.  \ 

A.   Lowe,    Allan,    journalist,   was    born  in 

Ramhill,  Lancashire,  Eng.,  Aug.  28,  185  8. 
His  father  was  a  County  Fermanagh  man, 
and  his  mother  was  born  in  Donegal. 
He  was  educated  at  Portora  Royal  School 
in  Enniskillen,  and  at  the  early  age  of 
thirteen  years  did  his  first  newspaper  work 
on  the  Fermanagh  "Times,"  a  weekly, 
started  by  his  father  in  Enniskillen.  He 
came  to  Boston  when  fifteen  years  old,  and 
started  in  to  learn  the  newspaper  business  at 
the  bottom.  He  picked  up  type  for  a  year, 
and  then  went  to  Montreal,  where  he  at 
once  became  police  reporter  on  the  Mon- 
treal "  Gazette."  He  showed  aptitude 
in  the  business,  and  Alick  P.  Lowry,  city 
editor  of  the  Toronto  "  Mail,"  sent  for  him 
to  join  the  staff  of  that  paper.  He  was 
given  sporting  work  to  do,  and  for  thirteen 
years  has  done  very  little  other  work.  He 
wrote  the  fullest  and  most  graphic  accounts 
of  lacrosse  matches  ever  published  in 
Canada.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  all 
over   the  country,  and  has  owned  a  weekly 


WILLIAM    F.    KENNEY. 


BIO  GRAPHIC  A  L   SKE  TCHES. 


321 


paper,  and  been  engaged  in  many  business 
ventures.  He  is  the  "  horseman "  of  the 
"  Globe."  He  joined  that  paper  last  July, 
and  has  done  special  work  for  that  jour- 
nal. 

"  /  Mackin,  Richard  J.,  newspaper  corre- 
spondent, born  in  Dorchester,  Mass.,  Dec. 
23,  1S65.  He  graduated  from  the  Mather 
School  in  1SS0,  attended  the  Dorchester  High 
School  for  two  years,  and  graduated  from 
Boston  College  in  1887.  He  entered  the 
Harvard  Medical  School  last  fall,  where  he 
is  at  present  studying  medicine.  He  began 
his  first  newspaper  work  a  year  ago  as  Boston 
College  correspondent  for  the  "  Globe,"  and 
is  now  the  Dorchester  representative  of  that 
paper. 

X  0  Magennis,  Margaret  J.,  for  the  past 
fourteen  years  connected  with  the  Boston 
"  Evening  Traveller,"  is  the  widow  of  a 
farmer  of  county  Down,  Ireland,  and 
daughter  of  a  Belfast  merchant.  Being  left 
a  widow  in  early  womanhood  in  the  city  of 
Cincinnati,  O.,  while  she  and  her  husband 
were  travelling,  she  was  soon  thrown  upon 
her  own  resources,  and  naturally  gravitated 
towards  journalism.  She  shortly  afterwards 
became  a  correspondent  for  several  papers, 
among  them  the  "  Banner  of  Ulster," 
Belfast  "  Morning  News,"  and  "  Caledonia 
Mercury,"  a  Scotch  paper.  About  twenty 
years  ago  her  first  contribution  to  a  Boston 
paper  appeared  in  the  "Watchman"  (the 
"Watchman  and  Reflector"),  to  which  she 
still  occasionally  contributes;  subsequently 
to  the  "  Youth's  Companion "  and  other 
papers.  Since  her  connection  with  the 
"Traveller  "  she  has  done  every  kind  of  work 
which  generally  falls  to  the  lot  of  newspaper 
women.  For  ten  or  twelve  years  she  has  daily 
reported  the  doingsof  one  of  the  municipal  dis- 
trict courts.  This  brought  her  into  commu- 
nication with  various  charitable  and  criminal 
institutions,  for  which  she  has  done  a  vast 
deal  of  gratuitous  charitable  work  of  widely 
appreciated  value  ;  for  example,  the  well- 
known  kindergarten  of  South  Boston  owes 


its  origin  to  the  early  efforts  of  Mrs.  Magen- 
nis in  its  behalf,  and  the  first  Protestant 
Sunday-school  in  the  Marcella-street  Home 
is  due  to  the  initiative  taken  by  her;  also  the 
Loyal  Temperance  Legion  at  the  same  place. 
To  these  might  be  added  the  Home  for  Aged 
Couples,  the  Working  Girls'  Home,  and  the 
Free  Home  for  Aged  Women.  The  latter 
institution  is  indebted  to  this  charitable  lady 
for  appeals  through  the  press,  and  for  start- 
ing a  fair  in  the  Phillips  Church,  South  Bos- 
ton, and  two  in  Boston,  in  its  behalf.  She 
is  always  glad  to  aid  a  needy  person  when  it 
is  in  her  power.  No  discrimination  is  made 
as  to  race,  color,  or  religion.  She  is  an  offi- 
cer of  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance 
Union,  and  in  that  capacity  visits  the  penal 
institutions  and  almshouses.  Her  efforts  are 
now  being  directed  towards  procuring  a  tem- 
porary asylum  for  discharged  prisoners, 
where  they  could  stop  during  the  time  be- 
tween their  release  from  prison  and  finding 
employment,  believing,  as  she  does,  that  in 
many  cases  permanent  reformation  would  be 
likely  to  follow.  She  is  an  honorary  member 
of  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  G.A.R. ;  has 
always  been  faithful  and  sincere  in  her  char- 
itable work,  and  is  a  typical  representative  of 
a  generous,  kind-hearted  woman.  Mrs. 
Magennis  is  a  descendant  of  a  long  line  of 
sturdy  Presbyterians. 
u 
«2V  Maguire,  Thomas,  journalist,  born  in 
mid-ocean  while  his  parents  were  making  the 
passage  in  a  sailing-vessel  from  Ireland  to 
America  in  1841.  He  died  of  pneumonia  in 
the  Charlestown  District,  Mass.,  Oct.  22, 
1884.  Soon  after  arrival  in  this  country, 
Mr.  Maguire's  father  died,  and  Mrs.  Maguire 
located  in  Hinsdale,  Berkshire  County, 
Mass.,  where  young  Tom  attended  school 
and  acquired  the  common  education  with 
which  he  began  his  journalistic  career  some 
years  later.  His  genial  disposition  made 
him  a  great  favorite  with  railroad  people,  and 
he  eventually  cast  lines  with  them,  becoming 
a  water-boy  and  subsequently  a  brakeman 
on  the  Western  Railroad,  which  has  since 
been  merged  into  the  Boston  &  Worcester, 


322 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


under  the  general  name  of  the  Boston  & 
Albany.  In  addition  to  his  other  work,  Tom 
contributed  news  paragraphs  to  the  columns  of 
the  Springfield  "  Republican,"  and  became  a 
great  favorite  of  the  elder  Bowles,  who  gave 
him  a  position  as  a  reporter  on  that  paper. 
He  served  a  successful  apprenticeship  with 
the  "  Republican,"  contributed  to  the  New 
York  "  Herald,"  and  subsequently  came  to 
Boston,  where  he  secured  a  place  on  the 
Boston  "Journal,"  "covering"  the  Massa- 
chusetts work  for  the  New  York  "  Herald  " 
as  well.  While  with  the  "Journal  "  his  work 
was  "  general,"  but  for  several  years  he  was 
the  reporter  of  legislative  proceedings  in  one 
or  the  other  of  the  two  branches  of  the  State 
government.  In  his  earlier  career  as  a 
journalist  he  had  a  happy  faculty  of  making 
hosts  of  friends,  who  were  always  glad  to  see 
him  and  to  favor  him  in  every  way,  and  he 
was  well  known  in  every  State  in  New  Eng- 
land and  in  the  large  cities  of  Canada  and 
the  Provinces.  His  qualities  as  a  news- 
gatherer  and  correspondent  were  as  peculiar 
as  his  methods  were  unique.  Early  practice  at 
the  keyboard  of  the  telegraph-office  in  Hins- 
dale made  him  very  valuable  in  emergencies 
calling  for  an  operator  to  take  the  place  of 
the  then  imperfectly  educated  telegraphers  of 
country  towns  and  villages.  He  possessed  a 
rare  fund  of  mother-wit,  and  his  easy  manners, 
love  of  humor,  and  willingness  to  serve  made 
him  warm  friends  everywhere.  He  was  a 
daring  war  correspondent  while  the  Rebellion 
was  in  progress.  On  the  occasion  of  the 
Fenian  raid  into  Canada,  in  1866,  Tom  was  at 
the  front  for  the  "Journal"  and  two  years 
later  he  was  again  in  Canada  with  the  "  Irish 
Revolutionary  Army,"  having  meanwhile  left 
the  "Journal"  and  become  New  England 
correspondent  for  the  New  York  "  Herald." 
On  the  second  raid  his  despatches  were  sent 
from  all  points  between  St.  Armand  and 
Trout  River  in  Canada  and  St.  Albans,  Vt., 
and  Malone,  N.Y.,  on  the  American  side. 
Tom's  greatest  achievement,  which  brought 
him  into  prominence,  was  connected  with  the 
loss  of  the  White  Star  steamship  "Atlantic  "  on 
the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia,  about  eighteen  years 


ago.  On  learning  of  the  disaster,  he  started 
by  special  train  for  Halifax,  and  on  arriving 
there  chartered  the  only  steamer  that  could 
be  obtained  and  went  to  the  wreck.  In  that 
way  he  recovered  over  one  hundred  bodies; 
and  those,  with  many  others  recovered  of  the 
five  hundred  and  sixty-two  lost,  were  claimed 
by  their  friends  solely  through  the  complete 
and  systematic  description  of  the  dead 
that  Mr.  Maguire  gave  to  the  public  in 
his  long  despatches  to  his  paper.  Owing 
to  the  condition  of  the  roads  along  the  coast 
at  the  time,  the  wreck  could  not  be  reached 
except  by  boat;  and,  as  Mr.  Maguire  had 
chartered  the  only  available  one,  he  was 
monarch  of  the  field,  leaving  his  fellow-corre- 
spondents unable  to  get  any  nearer  the  scene 
of  the  accident  than  Halifax,  a  distance  of 
thirty  miles.  The  latter  were  forced  to  stand 
about  on  the  Halifax  wharves  and  pick  up 
meagre  items,  while  Mr.  Maguire  sailed  up 
in  his  steamer  just  from  the  wreck,  and  tele- 
graphed column  after  column  of  the  last 
particulars.  It  made  Mr.  Maguire  a  hero, 
and  called  forth  the  admiration  of  a  score 
or  more  of  New  York  and  Boston  corre- 
spondents, who  were  out-generalled  by  his 
enterprise.  Doubts  were  expressed  on  all 
sides  about  his  ability  to  stay  so  long  and  do 
so  much  work  under  water,  and  many  pro- 
fessional divers  declared  that  no  expert  could 
remain  under  the  water  and  accomplish  so 
much  as  the  New  York  "  Herald "  novice 
claimed  to  have  done. 

Two  days  of  newspaper  war  ensued  on  the 
subject,  when  Mr.  Maguire  received  a  per- 
emptory order  by  telegraph  from  Mr.  James 
Gordon  Bennett  directing  him  to  "  go  down  in 
the  bell  again."  He  obeyed,  and  the  "Herald" 
had  another  description  of  scenes  witnessed 
in  the  second  exploration  of  the  wreck,  and 
the  vividness  of  the  portrayal  was  even  more 
shocking  than  the  first.  Tom  had  but  few 
equals  in  the  gathering,  preparation,  and  dis- 
semination of  news,  and  his  clever  feats 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  leading  news- 
paper men  of  his  day,  among  whom  was 
Colonel  Rogers,  of  the  Boston  "Journal," 
who  secured  his  services,  and  Tom  proved  a 


■II 


THOMAS    MAGUIRE, 

JOURNALIST. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


323 


fitting  co-laborer  to  the  then  veteran  Dave 
Leavitt,  who  at  that  time  was  in  the  zenith  of 
his  fame.  At  the  opening  of  hostilities,  in 
iS6i,Tom  Maguire  (as  he  loved  to  be  called) 
happened  to  be  in  New  York  State,  and  was 
sent  to  West  Point  to  look  after  a  meeting 
between  General  Wool  and  President 
Lincoln,  touching  matters  concerning  the 
war.  While  the  President  pared  a  trouble- 
some corn  with  a  razor  belonging  to  General 
Wool,  the  whole  situation  was  discussed,  and 
the  order  for  the  first  call  for  troops  was 
drawn  up  by  the  general  and  immediately 
signed  by  the  President.  The  New  York 
"  Herald "  the  next  morning  published  an 
"  exclusive  "  sent  by  Tom  which  astounded 
the  world.  In  1861  and  1862  he  was  with 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  as  correspondent 
of  the  Boston  "  Journal,"  and  spent  much 
time  at  Acquia  Creek,  the  depot  of  supplies, 
as  well  as  at  army  headquarters.  He  was 
intimately  associated  with  the  leading  gen- 
erals, and  had  the  confidence  of  all  who 
knew  him,  — officers  and  soldiers  alike.  He 
often  risked  his  life  by  wandering  within  the 
rebel  lines,  but  escaped  all  harm.  He  re- 
turned home  in  1864  and  resumed  his  labors 
on  the  Boston  "  Journal,"  but  later  became 
associated  with  the  New  York  "Herald." 
While  serving  on  the  staff  of  the  "  Herald," 
in  1868  or  thereabouts,  he  accompanied 
Prince  Arthur  in  the  latter's  tour  from  Hali- 
fax throughout  the  country.  He  acted  as 
secretary  and  agent  for  Patrick  S.  Gilmore 
during  the  World's  Peace  Jubilee,  and  Mr. 
Gilmore  was  so  impressed  by  his  genius  and 
accomplishments  as  a  writer  that  he  com- 
posed and  dedicated  a  piece  of  music  to  him. 
In  1S70  Mr.  Maguire  executed  a  piece  of  fine 
work  for  the  "Herald  "in  connection  with 
the  "  Mill  River  Disaster."  He  accompanied 
the  Duke  Alexis,  the  son  of  the  "  Czar  of 
all  the  Russias,"  in  the  latter's  trip  through- 
out the  country,  during  which  Tom  especially 
distinguished  himself  on  behalf  of  the  New 
York  "  Herald."  On  reaching  St.  Louis,  some 
sixty-eight  correspondents  were  on  hand, 
representing  as  many  different  journals,  to 
accompany  the  Duke  on  the  grand  buffalo 


hunt  which  had  been  arranged  in  his  honor 
by  General  Phil.  Sheridan.  At  the  last 
moment  Sheridan  decided  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  take  all  the  correspondents 
with  the  party  by  reason  of  lack  of  horses 
for  transportation,  and  to  be  impartial,  the 
general  decided  to  have  none  of  them  go.  He 
proposed  to  furnish  an  epitome  of  each  day's 
sport  for  all  the  papers,  and  that  settled  it  to 
all  appearances  for  the  poor  correspondents, 
many  of  whom  had  travelled  hundreds  of 
miles  to  describe  the  antics  of  a  live  prince 
hunting  down  a  live  buffalo.  Tom,  however, 
was  dissatisfied,  and  felt  chagrined  at  having 
to  return  to  New '  York  with  a  report  of  his 
failure.  He  cogitated,  soon  saw  his  way 
clear,  and  in  the  most  secret  manner  offered 
himself  to  Sheridan  as  a  telegraph  operator 
who  might  be  wanted  to  assist  in  getting  the  re- 
port of  each  day's  hunt  through  to  the  papers. 
This  was  done  unknown  to  his  associates,  and 
he  accompanied  the  party,  which  was  headed 
by  the  lamented  Custer,  with  whom  Tom  was 
on  the  best  of  terms,  the  result  of  a  friendship 
formed  on  the  battle-fields  of  Virginia.  Tom 
did  his  duty  as  an  operator  to  perfection,  and 
the  New  York  "Herald"  printed  a  whole 
page  of  matter  each  day  descriptive  of  the 
sport,  which,  when  Sheridan  discovered, 
angered  him  against  Tom,  as  much  as  he  ad- 
mired his  skill  in  outwitting  him.  In  1872 
Tom  Maguire  again  distinguished  himself 
during  the  big  fire  in  Boston,  and  he  made  a 
hit  in  his  description  of  President  Grant's 
trip  to  the  Vineyard  and  Cape  in  1874. 
"  Old  "  Grant  and  Tom  were  as  fast  friends 
as  if  brought  up  together  at  West  Point.  In 
connection  with  the  centennial  celebration  of 
the  battles  of  Lexington  and  Concord,  in 
1875,  Tom  made  another  "  big  hit  "  by  pre- 
paring the  matter  for  a  special  edition  of  the 
New  York  "  Herald,"  which  was  sold  all 
over  New  England  during  the  day  of  the 
celebration.  This  issue  of  the  New  York 
"  Herald  "  embraced  an  historical  sketch  of 
the  battles  from  the  pens  of  the  late  Ralph 
Waldo  Emerson  and  other  prominent  men  of 
the  time,  direct  descendants  of  the  patriots 
who  met  the  British  soldiery.     Tom  came  in 


324 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


for  a  share  of  the  fame,  and  he  continued  in 
the  service  of  the  New  York  "  Herald " 
until  1S77,  as  New  England  correspondent. 
In  1878  he  came  to  Boston  and  wrote  for  the 
"  Globe,"  and  finally  became  connected  with 
the  Boston  "  Herald."  He  wielded  a  most 
facile  pen,  and  had  wonderful  descriptive 
powers. 

\  O  McGrath,  David  J.,  editor  and  publisher 
of  "The  Horse  and  Stable,"  —  a  trade  journal, 
—  born  in  East  Weymouth,  April  21,  1861. 
He  graduated  from  the  Bicknell  Grammar 
School  about  1878,  and  then  went  to  work  in 
a  shoe  manufactory,  but  found  the  business 
uncongenial  and  unsuited  to  his  taste  and 
inclination.  He  became  connected  with  the 
Boston  "  Daily  Globe "  in  the  capacity  of 
district  local  reporter,  on  July  6,  1881,  and 
he  has  shown  marked  ability  in  journalism 
since  his  advent  to  the  field.  He  was  pro- 
moted to  the  position  of  night  city  editor 
after  service  as  local  reporter,  court  reporter, 
and  special  correspondent.  He  also  presided 
over  the  night  desk  and  day  desk,  and  his  ed- 
itorial judgment  was  considered  excellent  by 
his  associate  journalists.  The  monotonous  life 
at  the  desk  gave  him  no  opportunity  to  ex- 
tend his  efforts  and  display  his  literary  gifts 
as  a  special  correspondent,  for  which  he  pos- 
sessed positive  and  unusual  talent,  and  he 
decided  to  devote  his  mind  to  special  work. 
He  has  done  some  notable  newspaper  feats, 
among  which  is  his  capture  of  young 
McNally,  the  Saco,  Me.,  bank  clerk,  who  ab- 
sconded with  about  half  a  million  dollars. 
Mr.  McGrath  has  been  the  correspondent  for 
several  New  York  papers.  As  a  writer  of 
short,  breezy  sketches  he  has  no  superior  in 
Boston,  and  his  more  lengthy  articles  on 
passing  events,  which  have  appeared  from 
time  to  time  in  the  "  Globe,"  have  attracted 
much  attention  and  favorable  comment. 

3 )  McKay,  M.  E.,  reporter,  graduated  from 
St.  John,  N.B.,  schools  at  the  age  of  fifteen, 
a  licensed  teacher.  She  began  writing  about 
seven  years  ago  for  several  St.  John  papers, 
came  to  Boston  three  years  ago,  wrote   for 


the  "Globe"  and  "Herald"  articles  on 
church  matters,  and  is  now  an  able  member 
of  the  "  Globe  "  reportorial  staff,  where  she 
is  doing  excellent  work. 

3  -LMcNally,  Hugh  P.,  night  editor  of  the 
Boston  "  Herald,"  born  in  Charlestown,  Mass., 
1856;  attended  the  public  schools  of  Charles- 
town.  In  early  life  he  worked  for  John  C. 
&  E.  A.  Loud,  bakers  on  Prince  street,  and 
for  several  years  for  Horace  P.  Stevens,  pro- 
visions and  groceries,  on  Chelsea  street, 
Charlestown,  whose  employ  he  left  to  enter 
the  steam-engineering  department  at  the 
Navy  Yard,  with  the  intention  of  becoming 
an  engineer  in  the  navy.  After  a  competitive 
examination  he  was  made  a  government  ap- 
prentice; but  as  there  were  no  vacancies  in 
the  machine-shop  he  was  placed  in  the  pat- 
tern-shop, and  served  the  full  term  of  four 
years  in  learning  the  pattern-maker's  trade. 
The  possession  of  either  trade  —  machinist  or 
pattern-making  —  would  gain  him  the  time  set 
for  practical  work  at  the  naval  academy. 
While  learning  his  trade  he  studied  hard  at 
home  and  at  the  evening  high  school,  posting 
himself  fully  on  the  requirements  for  admis- 
sion to  the  Annapolis  Academy.  At  the 
same  time  he  began  reporting  for  the  "  Daily 
Advertiser,"  then  on  Court  street,  and  also  for 
the  old  "Sunday  Times."  He  became  de- 
voted to  journalism,  and  secured  a  regular 
place  on  the  staff  of  the  "  Daily  Advertiser," 
where  he  remained  for  about  eight  years, 
doing  all  kinds  of  general  reporting  and 
special  work,  only  leaving  the  "  old  daily  " 
to  become  one  of  the  night  editors  of  the 
"  Herald,"  a  position  he  has  filled  for  the 
past  four  years.  He  has  written  many  special 
articles  for  the  "  Herald." 

While  employed  on  the  "  Advertiser  "  he 
also  did  regular  work  for  the  "  Sunday 
Courier,"  being  for  about  three  years  city 
editor  of  the  paper,  and  a  special-article 
writer.  The  last  two  years  of  his  connection 
with  the  "  Courier  "  he  had  charge  of  the 
make-up  and  "  putting  to  press." 

Mr.  McNally  has  contributed  frequently  to 
New  York  and  Western  papers   and  to  the 


BIO  GRAPHICAL    SKE  TCIIES. 


325 


Irish-American  press  over  the  signatures  of 
"  Hugh  X  "  and  "  Heber."  He  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  St.  Mary's  Young  Men's 
Temperance  Society  of  Charlestown,  and  has 
been  secretary,  and  also  treasurer,  of  that  or- 
ganization. He  is  a  member  of  the  Charitable 
Irish  Society  and  of  the  Boston  Press  Rifle 
Club,  and  has  been  the  executive  officer  of 
the  latter  association.  He  is  a  married  man, 
and  has  two  children. 

I,  j>  McNally,  John  J.,  author  and  journalist, 
born  in  the  Bunker  Hill  district  of  this  city, 
May  7,  1854.  He  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  that  district,  and  was  graduated 
from  the  Charlestown  High  School  in  1872, 
and  afterwards  entered  the  Harvard  Law 
School,  where  he  prepared  himself  for  ad- 
mission to  the  bar. 

While  pursuing  his  studies  at  Harvard  he 
began  his  career  as  a  journalist  on  the 
Charlestown  "  Chronicle,"  a  local  paper 
which  was  at  one  time  edited  by  Mr.  John 
H.  Holmes,  the  present  editor  of  the  Boston 
"Herald."  When  Mr.  Stephen  O'Meara, 
now  managing  editor  of  the  Boston 
"Journal,"  was  taken  off  district  work  and 
made  a  regular  city  reporter  on  the  Bos- 
ton "  Globe,"  in  September,  1872,  Mr. 
McNally  succeeded  him  as  the  Charlestown 
reporter  of  that  paper.  He  retained  his 
newspaper  connection  during  the  two  terms 
he  was  at  Harvard,  doing  at  night  a  variety 
of  journalistic  work,  and  studying  law  dur- 
ing the   day. 

Inclination,  taste,  temperament,  and  habit 
induced  him  to  desert  the  law  and  give  his 
whole  allegiance  to  journalism,  where  the 
immediate  rewards  for  labor  were  greater. 

He  was  employed  as  a  reporter  and  special 
writer  by  the  "Globe,"  "Advertiser,"  and 
"  Sunday  Courier "  at  various  times,  and 
somewhere  about  1877  he  succeeded  Mr. 
Henry  A.  Clapp  as  dramatic  critic  of  the 
"  Sunday  Times,"  which  was  then,  as  now,  an 
excellent  authority  on  dramatic  matters. 

His  work  for  the  "Times"  proving  satis- 
factory, he  was  rapidly  given  charge  of  several 
departments,  and  finally  was    placed    in  full 


editorial  control  of  the  paper,  which  he  con- 
ducted with  success. 

It  was  as  the  dramatic  critic  of  the  "  Times  " 
that  Mr.  McNally  attracted  the  attention  of 
Mr.  Willie  Edouin  and  Manager  E.  E.  Rice, 
and  was  engaged  by  the  former  to  write,  in 
conjunction  with  Mr.  Dexter  Smith,  a  bur- 
lesque for  the  newly  organized  Rice's  Surprise 
Party.  Messrs.  McNally  and  Smith  then 
wrote  "  Revels;  or,  Bon  Ton  George,  Jr.," 
which  was  one  of  the  most  successful  bur- 
lesques ever  presented  in  this  country.  The 
piece  was  originally  produced  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  when  it  was  proposed  to  open  with 
it  in  Philadelphia,  Mr.  McNally  went  on  to 
that  city,  and  rewrote  the  piece,  adapting 
it  to  the  members  of  the  organization,  which 
included  Mr.  Edouin,  Mr.  W.  A.  Mestayer, 
Mr.  Henry  E.  Dixey,  Mr.  George  Howard, 
Mr.  Louis  Harrison,  and  Misses  Alice  Ather- 
ton,  Lena  Merville,  Marion  Singer,  Marion 
Elmore,  Jennie  Calef,  and  many  others  who 
have  since  appeared  as  stars. 

In  Philadelphia  Mr.  Rice  offered  Mr.  Mc- 
Nally a  good  salary  to  travel  with  the 
company  as  librettist  and  press  agent,  and  he 
entered  the  dramatic  profession  and  remained 
in  it  for  three  seasons,  acting  as  press  agent, 
treasurer,  and  business  manager. 

For  a  few  months  Mr.  McNally  was  en- 
gaged as  assistant  business  manager  for  Miss 
Annie  Pixley,  and  when  he  left  her  service  he 
returned  to  Boston  and  again  entered  jour- 
nalism as  an  editorial  writer  on  the  Boston 
"  Daily  Star,"  and  a  few  weeks  later  was  ap- 
pointed managing  editor  of  that  paper,  leav- 
ing it  to  join  the  special  editorial  staff  of 
writers  on  the  Boston  "  Herald."  He  also 
assisted  Mr.  E.  A.  Perry  in  the  writing  of 
dramatic  criticisms,  and  when  that  gentleman 
was  sent  to  England  as  the  resident  corre- 
spondent of  the  "  Herald  "  in  London,  the 
management  of  that  journal  showed  its  ap- 
preciation of  Mr.  McNally's  work  by  placing 
him  in  full  control  of  its  dramatic  depart- 
ment. 

While  he  was  with  Mr.  Rice,  Mr.  McNally 
rewrote  "Horrors,"  "The  Babes  in  the 
Wood,"  and  other  pieces  in  the  Rice  reper- 


320 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


toire,  and  gave  to  all  of  them  new  leases  of 
life  and  prosperity.  In  "The  New  Evan- 
geline," which  was  also  the  work  of  this 
author,  Mr.  Henry  E.  Dixey  made  one  of 
his  greatest  early  successes  as  a  clerk  to 
LeBlanc,  a  part  especially  written  for  him. 
This  version  of  the  old  extravaganza  was 
singularly  popular,  and  was  first  produced 
in  Boston,  at  Forest  Garden. 

Mr.  McNally  is  also  the  author  of  a  num- 
ber of  short  sketches  and  farces  which  were 
successful,  but  which  were  not  billed  under 
his  name.  He  has  written  many  topical, 
character,  and  sentimental  songs,  and  he  is 
responsible  for  a  great  many  of  the  local 
verses  which  have  been  sung  in  this  city  by 
comedians  of  visiting  combinations. 

His  latest  successes  are  "  Home  Rule,"  a 
pleasing  sketch  which  was  played  with  good 
results  by  the  Irwin  Sisters  in  the  Howard 
Athenaeum  Star  Specialty  Company,  who  sung 
a  topical  duet  by  the  same  author,  "  Upside 
Down,"  which  he  wrote  in  collaboration  with 
Mr.  Thomas  A.  Daly;  "  Army  Tactics,  or 
Love  and  Strategy;"  "Irish  Heads  and 
German  Hearts;  "  and  "  Little  Lord  Mc- 
Elroy." 

Mr.  McNally  has  been  singularly  fortunate 
as  an  author,  as  his  name  has  never  been 
associated  with  a  failure. 

3*\  McNally,  Peter  S.,  journalist,  born  in 
Charlestown,  July  7,  1865.  He  attended  the 
public  schools,  and  also  took  a  three-years 
course  at  Boston  College.  He  began  news- 
paper work  on  the  "  Evening  Star,"  July  7, 
1887,  as  Charlestown  reporter.  In  Septem- 
ber of  the  same  year  he  became  a  member  of 
the  "  Post "  staff.  He  subsequently  joined  the 
staff  of  the  "  Daily  Advertiser  "  and  "  Evening 
Record,"  and  occasionally  contributed  to  the 
"Journal."  In  February,  1S86,  he  became 
attached  to  the  "  Sunday  Budget"  and 
"  Manufacturers'  Gazette."  In  January,  1888, 
he  returned  to  the  "Advertiser  "  and 
"  Record  "  as  sporting  editor  and  night  local 
reporter,  his  present  position.  He  is  profi- 
cient as  an  athlete  and  swimmer,  particularly 
in  the  latter,  having  won  many  long-distance 


races.  He  has  a  record  of  swimming  from 
Bath,  Me.,  to  Fort  Popham,  on  the  Kenne- 
bec river,  a  distance  of  sixteen  nautical  miles. 
As  a  life-saver  he  holds  a  silver  medal  from 
the  Massachusetts  Humane  Society,  presented 
to  him  in  April,  1886,  with  the  inscription, 
"  To  P.  S.  McNally,  —  For  repeated  acts  of 
humanity  and  bravery,  by  which  many  per- 
sons have  been  saved  from  drowning,  Boston, 
1 872-1 886."  He  is  reported  to  have  rescued 
about  forty  persons. 

1  McNary,  William  S.,  managing  editor, 
born  in  North  Abington,  Mass.,  March  29, 
1S63.  He  is  of  Irish-Scotch  descent.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town  until  twelve  years  of  age,  when  he  re- 
moved to  South  Boston,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the  Lawrence 
Grammar  School  in  1877,  and  the  English 
High  School  in  1S80.  In  the  latter  year  he 
became  employed  as  reporter  on  the  "  Com- 
mercial Bulletin,"  and  was  recently  appointed 
managing  editor.  '  He  has  been  identified 
in  amateur  theatricals,  as  a  public  reader,  and 
was  at  one  time  president  of  the  South  Bos- 
ton Union,  also  of  the  St.  Augustine's  Ly- 
ceum, and  is  a  member  of  the  South  Boston 
Citizens'  Association.  He  represented  Ward 
15  as  a  Democrat  in  the  Common  Council 
of  1886-87,  and  was  elected  to  the  Demo- 
cratic Ward  and  City  Committee  in  1888. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  1SS9, 
and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  prominent 
Democrats  of  that  body.  He  is  a  lieutenant 
of  Company  B,  Ninth  Regiment,  a  member 
of  the  Boston  Press  Club  and  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Young  Men's  Democratic  Club. 

%  Hierrigan,  John  J.,  editor,  born  in  Bos- 
ton in  1855.  He  became  a  resident  of  South 
Boston  at  an  early  age,  where  he  graduated 
from  the  Lawrence  Grammar  School.  When 
a  boy  he  sold  newspapers  in  the  peninsular 
district,  and  the  juvenile  training  which  he 
acquired  at  the  time  doubtless  prompted  his 
subsequent  desire  to  be  a  proprietor  of  a 
successful  newspaper.  In  a  measure  he 
has    accomplished  this  result,   and  is  now 


JOHN    J.    MERRIGAN. 


BIO  GRAPHICAL    SKE  TCHES. 


327 


editor  and  proprietor  of  the  South  Boston 
"  News,"  a  weekly  publication  of  considerable 
local  prominence.  At  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  be  became  employed  at  the  book- 
binder's trade,  subsequently  accepted  a 
position  as  clerk  in  a  wall-paper  establish- 
ment, and  later  was  engaged  for  over  three 
years  with  a  building  firm.  His  next  busi- 
ness experiment  was  as  an  advertising 
solicitor.  He  assumed  charge  of  the  adver- 
tising department  of  a  district  paper,  and 
through  his  efforts  a  very  satisfactory 
financial  showing  was  the  result.  Eventually 
he  extended  his  work,  and  served  as  resident 
correspondent  for  New  England  newspapers. 
Finally,  in  1SS5,  he  became  connected  with 
the  South  Boston  "News,"  which  has  since 
been  elevated  to  an  influential  position  as  a 
Democratic  newspaper. 

\  ")  Murnane,  Timothy  Hayes,  journalist, 
born  in  Naugatuck,  Conn.,  June  4,  1850.  He 
received  a  common-school  education,  and 
began  playing  base-ball  at  an  early  age. 
From  1870  until  1885  he  was  engaged  as 
player  and  manager  for  a  number  of  base- 
ball clubs.  During  his  experience  on  the 
"  diamond  "  he  was  connected  with  the  follow- 
ing clubs :  The  Savannah  (Ga.) ,  Middletown 
(Conn.)  Athletics,  Philadelphia,  Boston,  and 
Providence.  In  1874  he  went  to  England 
and  Ireland  with  the  American  ball-players, 
as  a  member  of  the  Athletics  of  Philadelphia. 
Pie  has  been  instrumental  in  bringing  before 
the  public  many  great  ball-players,  notably 
Messrs.  Crane  and  Slattery,  of  New  York; 
Sullivan,  Farrell,  and  Duffy,  of  Chicago; 
Farrer,  of  Philadelphia;  McCarthy,  of  St. 
Louis ;  Nash  and  Johnston,  of  Boston; 
Hughes,  of  Brooklyn;  Hackett,  Shaw,  Mor- 
gan, Murphy,  and  others.  In  1884  he  organ- 
ized the  Boston  Unions,  and  in  1886  the 
Boston  Blues.  In  the  spring  of  1886  he 
started  the  Boston  "  Referee,"  a  sporting 
paper,  which  he  still  continues  to  publish. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  staff  of  the  Bos- 
ton "Globe,"  and  is  at  present  the  special 
writer  for  that  paper  of  the  games  played  by 
the  Boston  nine.     In  addition  to  his  regular 


newspaper  work  he  is  special  correspondent 
for  the  "  Sporting  Life,"  New  York  "  Even- 
ing Telegram,"  St.  Louis  "Sporting  News," 
and  the  "  Press  Association." 


Mupray,  William  F.,  journalist,  born  in 
Cardiff,  Wales,  Aug.  18, 1859,  of  Irish  parents, 
with  whom  he  came  to  the  United  States 
when  only  eleven  months  old.  He  lived  in 
New  York  a  few  years,  and  then  the  family 
moved  to  the  Provinces,  where  he  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  under  the  charge 
of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  and  the  Christian 
Brothers,  and  in  St.  Mary's  College  and  the 
Commercial  College  there.  He  studied  law 
one  year  and  a  half  in  the  office  of  Hon.  John 
S.  D.  Thompson,  the  present  minister  of 
Justice  of  the  Dominion.  He  learned  Pit- 
man's system  of  phonography  about  this  time, 
and  abandoned  the  study  of  law  to  engage 
in  journalistic  work,  toward  which  he  had 
a  strong  inclination.  He  served  two  sessions 
as  assistant  reporter  of  the  Legislature,  and 
after  joined  the  staff  of  one  of  the  local  news- 
papers. 

He  came  to  Boston  early  in  1880,  and 
went  to  work  on  the  daily  and  Sunday 
"  Globe,"  and  left  there  to  edit  a  daily  paper 
in  one  of  the  New  England  towns.  During 
most  of  the  winter  of  1881-82  he  travelled 
through  the  United  States  and  Canada  as 
stenographer  and  agent  for  the  late  Prof.  O. 
S.  Fowler.  He  afterward  joined  the  Bos- 
ton "  Herald  "  staff,  where  he  remained  until 
August,  1887,  when  he  accepted  a  position 
as  private  secretary  to  the  U.S.  General 
Appraiser.  In  addition  to  performing  the 
duties  of  his  present  position,  he  is  also  en- 
gaged to  a  limited  extent  in  newspaper 
work,  and  was  one  of  the  representatives  of 
the  "Herald"  at  both  the  National  Demo- 
cratic and  Republican  conventions  in  1888. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Boston  Press  Club, 
the  Charitable  Irish  Society,  and  the  Royal 
Arcanum. 

}  /O'Brien,  Carleton  T.,  journalist,  born  in 
Boston,  Sept.  29,  1858,  and  graduated  from 
the  Lewis  Grammar  School,  and  studied  for 


328 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


4 


two  years  in  the  Roxbury  High  and  Latin 
Schools.  He  left  the  high  school  to  fill  a 
position  on  the  "  Commercial  and  Shipping 
List,"  —  a  paper  then  managed  and  owned  by 
his  father,  ex-Mayor  O'Brien,  —  and  he  con- 
tinued with  that  paper  until  its  dissolution,  in 
1886.  He  acquired  much  knowledge  of  the 
various  branches  of  business  in  Boston,  which 
he  practically  applied  as  a  writer  of  the 
market  reports  for  the  Boston  "Journal," 
and  correspondent  of  several  other  papers. 
His  reports  of  the  different  business  interests 
are  gauged  as  thoroughly  accurate,  and  the 
wool  trade  particularly  mark  Mr.  O'Brien's 
reports  as  authoritative.  He  is  a  member  of 
numerous  societies  in  Boston  and  vicinity. 

v  O'Callaghan,  John  J.,  reporter,  born  in 
West  Springfield,  Mass.,  Sept.  14,  1861, 
where  he  attended  the  public  schools.  He 
later  removed  to  Boston,  Charlestown  Dis- 
trict, and  he  has  since  resided  there.  In  1885 
he  became  district  reporter  for  the  Boston 
"  Daily  Advertiser  "  and  "  Evening  Record," 
and  was  subsequently  promoted  to  a  position 
on  the  local  staff  of  both  papers.  He  is  a 
careful  and  thorough  news-gatherer,  ener- 
getic, and  has  done  creditable  work  as  a 
writer  of  political  news,  of  which  he  now 
makes  a  specialty.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Boston  Press  Club,  St.  Francis  de  Sales 
Young  Men's  Catholic  Total  Abstinence,  and 
the  Literary  Society,  of  Charlestown,  and 
served  a  year  as  president  and  an  equal  term 
as  secretary  of  the  temperance  society. 


^\  >  O'Connor,  Eugene  J.,  journalist  and 
telegrapher,  born  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  Oct. 
24,  1848.  His  early  education  was  received 
in  the  public  schools  of  that  city.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  years  he  was  engaged  in 
telegraphic  work,  and  subsequently  held  as 
important  a  position  as  the  comparatively 
primitive  condition  of  telegraphy  of  that 
time  would  admit.  About  1874  he  came  to 
Boston,  where  he  has  since  resided.  In 
former  years  the  position  of  an  operator 
was  not  much  more  than  a  mere  mechanical 
manipulator;     the    press    despatches,    which 


are  now  quite  large,  were  then  rather 
meagre,  without  the  present  regard  for  con- 
tinuity of  the  message.  He  who  received  the 
despatch  mechanically  transcribed  letter  by 
letter  as  it  ticked  inward.  To-day  Mr. O'Con- 
nor and  others  can  send  and  receive  with  a 
precision  and  ease  as  though  the  wire  were 
a  living,  breathing  being.  Previous  to  the 
telegraphers'  strike  in  July,  1883,  he  had 
been  night  chief  operator  of  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Company,  in  Boston.  At 
the  Chicago  convention  of  the  Telegraphers' 
Brotherhood  of  the  United  States  and  Can- 
ada he  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  execu- 
tive board,  under  whose  guidance  the  great 
strike  of  1883  was  conducted.  For  his 
"  striking  activity"  in  1883  he  was  ostracized 
by  the  Western  Union  Company,  but  honored 
and  revered  by  toiling  operators  throughout 
the  country.  He  subsequently  entered  the  ser- 
vice of  the  United  Lines  Company;  later  with 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Company.  When  the 
Western  Union  Company  assumed  the  man- 
agement of  the  latter  Mr.  O'Connor  joined  the 
staff  of  the  Boston  "  Globe,"  where  he  is  now 
employed.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  been 
first  assistant  assessor  for  the  city  of  Boston; 
he  is  president  of  the  Telegraphers'  Mu- 
tual Aid  and  Literary  Association,  and  the 
success  of  the  organization,  as  well  as  much 
advancement  in  telegraphic  service,  is  largely 
due  to  his  efforts. 

.*.  O'Keefe,  Arthur,  reporter,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, Sept.  19,  1843.  He  attended  the  Win- 
throp  Grammar  School  of  Charlestown  and 
Boston  Latin  School.  He  was  first  employed 
as  a  commercial  traveller,  but  began  news- 
paper work  in  1S81.  He  worked  about  a 
year  for  the  Boston  "  Star,"  and  afterwards 
for  the  Boston  "Sentinel."  He  became  en- 
gaged by  the  Boston  "  Globe"  in  1SS6  as  a 
space  writer,  and  was  later  employed  as  re- 
porter on  the  regular  staff,  a  position  which 
he  now  holds. 

O'Meara,  Henry,  author,  poet,  and  jour- 
nalist, born  in  St.  John's,  Newfoundland, 
Sept.    1,   1850.     He  was  educated   chiefly  at 


■S«1jV V-^-:Sj?5^^S 


STEPHEN    O'MEARA. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


329 


the  Central  Academy  and  St.  Dunstan's 
College  in  Charlottetown,  P.E.I.  While  at 
the  latter  place  he  was  awarded  the  special 
prize  for  good  conduct  by  suffrage  of  all  the 
students,  and  he  manifested  a  special  interest 
in  the  rhetoric  class,  in  which  he  was  associ- 
ated with  the  present  Archbishop  of  Halifax 
and  with  the  poet-editor,  Mr.  James  Jeffrey 
Roche. 

At  the  close  of  his  classical  studies  he 
came  with  other  members  of  the  family  to 
Boston,  and  after  a  brief  experience  at  the 
Merchants'  Exchange  News  Room  he  was 
engaged  in  the  book  department  of  the 
"  Pilot "  publishing  establishment,  then  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Patrick  Donahoe,  in  which  po- 
sition he  availed  himself  of  its  unusual  oppor- 
tunities for  an  acquaintance  with  books  and 
authors.  He  was  promoted  to  an  editorial 
position  on  "  The  Pilot,"  where  for  some 
years  he  was  a  co-worker  with  the  chief 
editor,  Mr.  John  Boyle  O'Reilly.  Subse- 
quently, during  an  interval  of  half  a  year,  he 
taught  classes  at  the  House  of  the  Angel 
Guardian  in  Boston  Highlands.  He  after- 
wards accepted  an  engagement  for  special 
department  work  on  the  Boston  "  Herald." 
The  editorial  charge  of  the  "  Catholic 
Herald "  at  Lawrence,  Mass.,  was  given 
him  during  the  first  six  months  of  its  existence. 

Mr.  O'Meara  has  also  contributed  to  most 
of  the  papers  in  Boston  at  various  times. 
When  the  Catholic  Lyceum  of  Boston  flour- 
ished he  prepared  a  pamphlet  history  of 
its  work;  and  as  one  of  the  projectors  of 
the  Lyceum  of  Charlestown,  he  participated 
in  a  course  of  public  lectures,  and  also  con- 
ducted a  journalistic  organ.  He  is  the  author 
of  various  poems,  some  of  which  have  ap- 
peared in  a  recent  compilation,  and  others  in 
the  newspapers  of  Boston  and  vicinity.  In 
dramatic  matters  he  has  long  displayed  a 
special  taste,  having  been  the  dramatic  critic 
of  the  Boston  "  Times,"  and  having  also 
contributed  critical  articles  to  other  Boston 
papers.  One  of  the  projects  which  he  has 
in  part  accomplished  has  been  the  prep- 
aration of  short  poems  in  tribute  to  the 
heroines    of  Shakspeare.     He  has  been  for 


some  years  past  employed  in  the  office  of  the 
Boston  "Journal,"  where  he  has  had  charge 
of  the  "  Weekly  Journal,"  and  his  varied 
work  on  the  Daily,  particularly  in  the  line 
of  descriptive  writing,  has  been  uniformly 
credited  with  grace  of  diction.  He  has 
given  considerable  attention  to  historical  and 
controversial  material,  and  as  chairman  of  the 
Committee  of  the  Catholic  Union  of  Boston 
on  History  and  Statistics  he  has  displayed 
marked  ability.  Mr.  O'Meara  is  married 
and  is  the  father  of  three  children. 

43  O'Meara,  Mary,  journalist.  She  pos- 
sesses decided  journalistic  aptitude,  which 
would  bring  her  into  prominence,  if  family 
duties  did  not  greatly  limit  its  exercise,  and 
she  is  the  wife  of  Henry  O'Meara,  of  the 
editorial  staff  of  the  Boston  "  Journal."  Mrs. 
O'Meara,  whose  maiden  name  was  Lynch, 
is  a  native  of  Boston.  Her  journalistic 
beginnings  were  made  in  "  Our  Young 
Folks'  Magazine,"  edited  by  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Scully,  of  Cambridge,  Mass.  She  was  mar- 
ried about  nine  years  ago.  For  eight  years 
past  she  has  conducted  the  Women's  De- 
partment and  the  Children's  Corner  of  the 
Boston  "  Republic."  Her  work  shows  rare 
taste  and  judgment.  Mrs.  O'Meara  is  a 
valued  member  of  the  New  England 
Women's  Press  Club.  She  is  a  woman  of  ex- 
tremely pleasing  presence  and  generous  edu- 
cation, diffident  of  her  own  gift,  and  always 
happy  in  promoting  the  success  of  others. 

Ht O'Meara,  Stephen,  editor,  born  in 
Charlottetown,  P.E.I.,  July  26,  1854.  His 
father  was  born  in  Thurles,  County  Tip- 
perary,  Ireland,  and  his  mother  in  New- 
foundland, where  his  father  immigrated  about 
1833.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1864,  and  after  a  short  residence  in  Braintree, 
Mass.,  and  later  in  Boston,  located  in  Charles- 
town,  where  he  now  resides.  He  graduated 
from  the  Harvard  Grammar  School  in  1868, 
and  from  the  Charlestown  High  School  in 
1872.  The  day  after  the  latter  graduation 
he  became  the  Charlestown  reporter  of  the 
Boston  "  Globe,"  and  in  October  of  the  same 


330 


THE    IRISH   IN   BOSTON. 


year  a  reporter  on  the  city  staff,  where  he 
remained  until  December,  1874,  tendering 
his  resignation  at  that  time  to  accept  a  posi- 
tion as  shorthand  reporter  on  the  Boston 
"Journal."  In  May,  1879,  he  was  promoted 
to  the  office  of  city  editor.  During  his  ex- 
perience as  a  reporter  he  served  five  years  at 
newspaper  work  in  the  Legislature,  nearly 
three  years  at  City  Hall,  and  had  a  wide 
range  of  business,  law,  and  political  report- 
ing. In  18S1  he  was  advanced  to  the 
position  of  news  editor  of  the  "  Journal," 
which  post  he  still  occupies.  The  duties 
of  his  office  are  entirely  executive,  includ- 
ing the  immediate  direction  of  reporters  and 
correspondents,  and  the  supervision  of  the 
work  of  all  persons  engaged  in  the  collection 
and  handling  of  news  as  distinguished  from 
purely  editorial  matter,  or  that  involving  the 
expression  of  the  paper's  opinions.  In  1881 
he  was  vice-president,  and  afterward  for  two 
years  president,  of  the  Charlestown  High 
School  Association,  and  in  1885  delivered 
the  annual  oration  before  that  organization. 
He  was  the  first  instructor  in  phonography 
at  the  Boston  Evening  High  School,  a  posi- 
tion which  he  held  for  four  years;  was  for- 
merly the  auditor  and  is  now  the  treasurer 
of  the  New  England  Associated  Press,  and 
was  president  of  the  Boston  Press  Club 
during  i886-'87-'88,  his  election  each  year 
being  unanimous.  In  1888  the  honorary 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was  conferred  upon 
him  by  Dartmouth  College. 

i,-w>  O'Neill,  Charles  S.,  editor,  born  in 
Boston,  April  15,  1853.  He  is  the  son 
of  Lieut.  James  O'Neill,  of  the  old 
"Fighting  Ninth,"  who  was  killed  at 
Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  8,  1864,  and  of 
Ellen  C.  O'Neill  {nee  Quinn).  Young 
O'Neill  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Sandwich,  Mass.,  Boston,  and 
Somerville. 

As  a  boy  he  caught  the  journalistic  fever, 
resulting  in  the  publication  of  a  little  month- 
ly at  Somerville,  called  the  "  Boy's  Ad- 
vocate ;  "  later,  entered  the  office  of  the 
Somerville    "Journal,"    eventually   stepping 


from  the    composing-room    to   the    editorial 
staff.       He    purchased   in   1S75  tne  Milford 
(Conn.)  "Telegram  ;  "  but  after  some  months 
of  hard  work  a  severe  and  lingering  illness 
compelled  the  abandonment  of  that  venture. 
Returning  to  Boston  in    1876,  he  remained 
for  the  succeeding  two  years  engaged  in  edi- 
torial   and    reportorial    work    on   suburban 
papers,   the    humdrum    monotony    of  which 
was  somewhat  relieved  by  occasional  poetic 
contributions     to    the    "  Pilot "    and    other 
papers.     In  1878  the  field  of  operations  was 
changed  to  New  York,  but  shifted  again  to 
Boston,  near  the  close  of  that  year.     In  1SS2 
he  became  attached  to  the  reportorial  staff  of 
the  Boston  "  Daily  Globe,"  remaining  so  con- 
nected for  about  a  year.     In  1884  joined  the 
staff  of  the  "  Catholic  Herald,"  then  published 
in    Boston,   and    contributed    thereto   serial 
sketches  of  all  the  Boston  Catholic  churches. 
When  the  paper's  place  of  publication  was 
transferred  to  New  York,  went  to  Gotham  to 
take  up  the  same  line  of  work  in  behalf  of 
New  York  churches,  but  returned  to  Boston 
after   six-months'  experience    there.     Imme- 
diately on  his  return  he  became  attached  to 
the  staff  of  the  Roxburj  "  Advocate,"  leaving 
that  paper  Jan.  1,  1886,  to  become  editor  of 
the  "  Boston  Courier."     This    position   was 
subsequently  exchanged  for  a  place  on   the 
staff  of  the  Boston  "  Commonwealth."     He 
was  later  called  to  occupy  the  editorial  chair 
of  the  "Budget,"  in  January,  1887,  and  he 
is  the  managing  editor  of   that  journal.     In 
the  past  he  has  also  contributed  sketches  to 
the  "Commercial  Bulletin"    and    "Ballou's 
Monthly;"  poetry  to  the  "Pilot,"  "Repub- 
lic," and   New  York  "  Ledger."      He  has 
been  very  successful  as  a  writer  of  humorous 
and  satiric  verse  and  of  songs. 

f 
ti  >0'Neill,    Helen    F.      By    ability  as    a 

worker  in  the  literary  field,  and  with  a  keen 

sense  of  pleasing  and  refined  humor,  she  has 

appropriately  won  "  the  distinction  of  being 

the  only  funny  man  in  the  country  who  is  a 

woman !  "  the  honor  having  been  conferred 

upon  her  by  the  New  York  "  Graphic  "  in  a 

complimentary  review  of  her  weekly  column 


CHARLES    S.    O'NEILL. 


BIO  GRAPHIC  A  L    SICE  TCHES. 


331 


of  humorous  verse  and  prose  which  appeared 
in  the  Roxbury  "Advocate  "  in  the  year  1886. 
Born  in  Sandwich,  Mass.,  Jan.  5,  1858, 
while  quite  young  she  removed  with  her 
parents  to  Somerdlle,  where  she  attended 
the  public  schools.  At  an  early  age  she  was 
possessed  of  a  promising  contralto  voice  and 
an  ambition  to  cultivate  the  same.  Music  en- 
gaged her  attention  to  the  exclusion  of  literary 
development,  although  occasional  interludes 
of  writing  tended  to  indicate  the  power  that 
was  being  kept  in  subjection.  It  was  not 
until  18S5,  when  convalescing  from  a  severe 
lung  affection,  and  finding  that  her  sickness 
had  so  impaired  her  voice  as  to  necessitate 
the  abandonment  of  hopes  previously  enter- 
tained, that  the  literary  instincts,  hitherto  sub- 
ordinated, came  to  the  front,  —  first,  as  a 
recreation  to  relieve  the  tedium  of  convales- 
cence; then,  to  develop  into  a  life-work.  Dur- 
ing this  year  poems  from  her  pen  appeared 
in  numerous  papers.  In  18S6  she  contributed 
weekly  to  the  Roxbury  "  Advocate  "  a  col- 
umn of  humorous  verse  and  prose,  referred 
to  above.  About  the  same  time  she  also 
contributed  a  series  of  pathetic  sketches 
to  the  Detroit  "  Free  Press."  In  the  spring 
of  1887  she  secured  an  engagement  on  the 
staff  of  the  Boston  "  Budget,"  which  position 
she  still  holds.  Poetry  from  her  pen  has  ap- 
peared in  the  Detroit  "  Free  Press,"  Boston 
"  Pilot,"  Boston  "  Courier,"  and  many  other 
papers.  She  is  considered  a  versatile  writer; 
her  contributions,  whether  in  verse  or  prose, 
serious  or  humorous,  have  been  widely 
copied.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Lieut.  James 
O'Neill,  of  the  old  Ninth  Mass.  Vols.,  who 
was  killed  at  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania,  Va., 
May  8,  1864,  and  of  Ellen  C.  O'Neill  {nee 
Quinn). 

.7  Quinn,  Thomas  C,  secretary,  born  in 
Woburn,  Mass.,  Aug.  24,  1864.  He  at- 
tended the  grammar  and  high  schools  of 
Woburn,  and  after  leaving  school  learned 
the  printer's  trade  in  the  office  of  the  Wo- 
burn "  Advertiser."  He  subsequently  acted 
as  local  reporter  in  the  town,  and  was  engaged 
by  the  Boston    "Globe,"   November,  1885. 


He  served  as  a  general  reporter  on  the  staff 
of  the  latter  paper  for  a  while,  and  did  some 
good  newspaper  work  on  special  assignments. 
His  creditable  efforts  were  duly  appreciated 
by  the  management  of  the  "  Globe,"  and  he 
was  promoted  to  the  position  of  private  sec- 
retary to  the  managing  editor.  In  addition 
to  his  duties  as  secretary,  he  had  charge  of 
many  of  the  news  features  of  the  paper, 
under  the  direction  of  his  superior  officer. 
In  May,  1889,  he  accepted  the  position  of 
managing  editor  of  the  New  York  "  Press." 


Rankin,  Edward  B.,  journalist,  was  born 
in  Queenstown,  Ireland,  in  December,  1846. 
His  father  and  mother,  the  former  a  native  of 
New  York,  died  while  their  only  child  was 
still  in  his  infancy,  and  the  boy  was  left  to  the 
care  of  relatives,  who  shortly  afterward  immi- 
grated to  the  United  States   and  settled  in 
Boston.     His  early  education  was  received  in 
the  public  schools  of  this  city,  and   later  at 
Lynn,  Mass.     At  the  latter  place  he  employed^ 
his  leisure  hours  in  learning  the  shoemaker's^ 
trade.     At  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  how- 
ever,  he   returned   to  Boston,  and  obtained 
employment  of  E.  C.  Bailey,  who  was  them 
proprietor   of  the    "  Herald."      After   three- 
years'  service  he  learned  the  printer's  trade,, 
and  in  1865  he  received  an  appointment  on  the- 
reportorial  staff.     In  the  latter  position  he  did- 
creditable  work,  and  in  due   time  was  pro- 
moted to  a  place  in  the  editorial  department. 
During  his  employment  on  the  "  Herald  "  he 
has  served  successively  as  general  reporter, 
special  writer,  court  and  city  government  re- 
porter, military,  political,   sporting,  and  tele- 
graph news  editor.     He  is  at  present  engaged 
as  a  general  writer,  with  special  reference  to 
athletics,  aquatics,  etc.,    and   has  charge  of 
that  department.     He  was  a  member  of  the 
Boston  School  Committee  from  1871  to  1875 
inclusive,  of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature  in 
i872-'74-'75,  and  was  a  Democratic  candi- 
date for  presidential  elector  from   the  third 
district  in   1880.     He  was  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  for  Public  Institutions,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Boston    Press   Club,  the 
Order  of  Elks,   Boston  Athletic  Association, 


332 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


Charitable  Irish  Society;  was  keeper  of  the 
silver  key  of  the  latter  organization  in  1885, 
and  its  president  in  1886.  He  is  also  an 
honorary  member  of  the  Hull  Yacht  Club, 
and  a  Director  of  the  Working  Boy's  Home, 
for  which  institution  he  has  been  an  earnest 
worker  for  some  time  past.  He  has  been  a 
prominent  citizen  of  South  Boston  for  the  last 
fourteen  years. 

\J*\  Reynolds,  Mrs.  Margaret  G.,  is  a 
popular  writer,  under  the  nom  de  plume 
"  Sepperle,"  and  during  recent  years  has 
won  a  prominent  position  as  an  author 
and  literary  worker.  Her  writings  display  a 
remarkable  clearness  of  forethought,  care- 
fully prepared  moral  instruction,  and  are 
interestingly  magnetic  in  construction. 

Mrs.  Reynolds  is  a  native  of  Pawtucket, 
R.I.  The  little  cottage  in  which  she  was 
born,  and  which  now  stands  a  ruin  on  the 
Providence  pike,  was  built  by  her  father,  an 
early  settler,  who  cleared  the  wilderness 
around  it  and  cultivated  the  land.  Her 
first  impulse  to  write  came  while  seated  on 
the  door-step  of  her  home  after  school  hours, 
reading  Jane  Porter's  "  Scottish  Chiefs." 
Her  first  story  was  written  during  a  week 
of  midnight  sittings  at  the  north  window 
of  her  room,  the  moonlight  presentment 
forming  the  theme  of  her  sketch.  In  1870 
she  removed  to  Boston,  where  she  took  up 
her  pen  for  earnest  work,  and  her  first  Bos- 
ton story  —  "  All's  Well  that  Ends  Well "  — 
appeared  in  what  was  then  the  mart  for  be- 
ginners, Dow's  "  Waverly  Magazine."  Other 
periodicals  were  written  for  in  rapid  succes- 
sion. The  "  Young  Crusaders  "  —  a  juvenile 
magazine  now  out  of  the  field  —  encouraged 
her  work  with  prompt  payment,  supplying 
illustrations,  to  which  she  wrote  many  stories 
for  the  young.  The  "Irish  World"  then 
accepted  her  contributions,  and  awarded  her 
high  rates  for  temperance  and  emigrant 
sketches.  She  has  also  written  for  the 
Boston  "Journal,"  "Transcript,"  "  Record," 
"Sunday  Times,"  and  "Globe;"  but  her 
greatest  success  is  thought  to  have  been  a 
long   serial,  "  Corogyne   Chronicles,"  which 


appeared  in  the  New  York  "  Freeman's 
Journal,"  and  which  will  be  reproduced  in 
book  form  at  an  early  date.  That  paper,  in 
commenting  upon  the  serial,  said :  "  The 
plot  and  construction  of  this  powerfully 
dramatic  work  runs  out  of  the  beaten  track 
into  a  field  of  originality  peculiarly  the 
author's  own.  The  strong  moral  motive 
underlying  the  plot  culminates  in  startling 
strength  at  the  close,  the  author's  intention 
evidently  being  to  lay  a  moral  ambush,  into 
which  the  reader  wanders  through  a  maze 
of  thrilling  mystery,  and  stumbles  unawares. 
Every  line  of  the  story  scintillates  with  a 
rare  phase  of  genius,  and  if  dramatized 
would  make  a  play  richly  suited  to  the  stage 
enterprise  of  Catholic  Lyceums."  She  is 
now  engaged  upon  a  second  serial,  "  Weep- 
ing Rock."  The  subject  of  the  story  is  a 
high  cliff  rising  close  to  the  windows  of  her 
recent  home  in  Whitney  place,  and  which, 
in  sunshine  as  well  as  in  storm,  drips  with 
moisture.  The  vein  of  the  story,  the  chief 
scenes  of  which  are  laid  in  Roxbury,  goes  to 
prove  why  the  rock  wept. 

Mrs.  Reynolds  is  of  Irish  parentage,  an 
ardent  Catholic,  and  much  of  her  writing  is 
pervaded  with  a  deeply  religious  spirit. 

^  Roche,  James  Jeffrey,  assistant  editor  of 
the  Boston  "  Pilot,"  and  poet,  born  in  Queens 
County,  Ireland,  May  31,  1847,  a  most  auspi- 
cious soil  for  a  poet.  Through  his  father, 
Edward  Roche,  Esq.,  an  able  mathematician 
and  scholar,  still  living  and  occupying  the 
office  of  Provincial  Librarian  inPrince  Edward 
Island,  he  inherits  the  literary  quality  domi- 
nant in  his  temperament  and  his  art.  The 
family  settled  in  Prince  Edward  Island  in  the 
same  year.  The  boy  was  educated  by  his 
father,  and  later  in  St.  Dunstan's  College. 
Here,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  foreshadowing 
his  career,  he  turned  journalist,  and  proudly 
edited  the  college  weekly  "unto  the  urn  and 
ashes"  of  its  infant  end.  His  youth  had  a 
fair  share  of  spirited  adventure,  an  encounter- 
ing of  odd  characters  and  scenes,  a  sharp 
observance  of  events,  and  a  close,  rapid,  hon- 
est, mental  life.     In  1866  he  strolled  alone 


iESB 


WBKtt 


HELEN     F.    O'NEIL 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


333 


into  the  open  gates  of  Boston,  fell  into  the 
clutches  of  commerce,  and  prospered  there; 
yet  with  revertings  thenceforward  to  litera- 
ture, his  early  love  and  first  unconscious 
choice,  keeping  vp,  in  print,  a  running  fire  of 
the  arch,  absurd,  unique  humor  which  has 
since  given  his  name  its  note.  Alrea'dy  mar- 
ried, in  1883  he  shifted  into  his  natural 
posture,  and  became  assistant  editor  of  the 
Boston  "  Pilot,"  a  position  entirely  to  his 
mind,  which  he  still  fills.  A  man  of  activity, 
eminently  social,  interested  in  all  public  mat- 
ters, sensitive  and  independent,  he  has  done, 
without  any  premeditation,  much  energetic 
and  brilliant  work,  of  which  a  "  History  of 
the  Filibusters  in  Spanish  America,"  a  novel, 
and  a  drama  are  yet  in  manuscript.  In  1886 
he  published  "  Songs  and  Satires,"  a  distinct 
success,  and  an  earnest  of  healthful  and  un- 
hurried growth. 

Nothing  injures  Mr.  Roche's  fun  so  much 
as  his  seriousness.  When  a  throat  is  able  to 
give  out  a  ringing  bass  song  of  sport  or  war, 
we  cease  to  demand  falsetto  of  it,  however 
quaint  and  dexterous.  It  is,  perhaps,  an  un- 
happy gift,  this  of  divided  skill,  for  it  some- 
times necessitates  a  pause,  an  adjustment,  a 
choice.  It  is  a  grim  truth  that  the  humorous 
has  no  place  on  the  top  peaks  of  Parnassus : 
to  be  great,  one  must  be  grave.  But  Mr. 
Roche,  of  all  men,  can  afford  to  let  his 
lighter  talent,  exquisite  as  it  is  in  kind,  go  by, 
so  long  as  he  can  throw  into  his  metrical  nar- 
ratives the  same  keenness  and  decisiveness  of 
thought,  the  same  life  and  grace  of  phrase, 
which  have  glorified  his  cap-and-bells. 
Something  in  the  generous  and  sympathetic 
air  of  to-day  has  colored  his  verses,  ever  and 
anon,  with  a  light,  humanitarian  and  revolu- 
tionary; but  his  protests,  made  as  they  are  of 
beautiful  philosophy,  come  from  him  with  an 
odd  grace  only,  and  belie  Timon's  part  with  a 
look  of  Mercutio.  A  poet,  as  a  poet  merely, 
had  best  sing  out  his  unregenerated  music 
and  leave  great  causes  alone,  unless  they 
have  overwhelmed  him  of  his  nature  and 
their  own  will.  The  witty  secretary  of  the 
Papyrus  Club  is  undedicated,  however  he 
should  deny  it,  and  liegeman  to  no   theory 


at  heart.  He  sends  his  gallant  and  unbook- 
ish fancies  on  profane  errands,  — 

"  Some  to  the  wars,  to  seek  their  fortune  there, 
Some  to  discover  islands  far  away." 

Mr.  Roche  is,  first,  a  scrivener  and  chron- 
icler, utterly  impersonal,  full  of  joy  in  deeds, 
a  discerner  between  the  expedient  and  the 
everlasting  right,  wholly  fitted  to  throw  into 
enduringsong  some  of  the  simple  heroisms  of 
our  American  annals.  We  bid  fair  to  have 
in  him  an  admirable  ballad- writer,  choosing 
instinctively  and  from  affection  "  that  which 
lieth  nearest,"  and  saying  it  with  truth  and 
zest.  His  muse,  like  himself,  is  happy  in  her 
place  and  time;  none  too  much  at  the  mercy 
of  sentiment :  coming  through  sheer  intelli- 
gence to  the  conclusion  of  fools,  and  going 
her  unvexed  gypsy  ways  with  an  "All's 
well !  "  ever  on  her  lips. 

L.  I.  G. 

The  sympathetic  little  poem,  "Androm- 
eda," is  one  of  Mr.  Roche's  creations.  It  is 
full  of  fine  feeling  and  expression. 

ANDROMEDA. 

They  chained  her  fair  young-  body  to  the  cold  and 

cruel  stone ; 
The  beast  begot  of  sea  and  slime  had  marked  her 

for  his  own ; 
The  callous  world  beheld  the  wrong,  and  left  her 

there  alone. 
Base  caitiffs  who  belied  her,  false  kinsmen  who 

denied  her, 

Ye  left  her  there  alone ! 

My  Beautiful,  they  left  thee  in  thy  peril  and  thy 

pain; 
The  night  that  hath  no  morrow  was  brooding  on 

the  main  : 
But  lo !     a    light    is   breaking  of  hope   for  thee 

again ; 
'Tis  Perseus'  sword  a-flaming,  thy  dawn  of  day 

proclaiming 

Across  the  western  main. 
O  Ireland !   O  my  country !    he  comes  to  break  thy 

chain ! 

A 

i>    Saunders,  Daniel  J.,  reporter,  born  in 

Boston,  Feb.  23,  i860.  He  is  of  Irish  parent- 
age, and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools. 
He  became  employed  by  the  Boston  "  Globe  " 


334 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


as  office-boy  about  eleven  years  ago.  After 
two  and  one-half  years  of  service  he  was 
promoted  to  the  position  of  reporter,  and 
was  engaged  in  reporting  criminal  work 
till  September,  1888,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  sporting  department,  and  is  now 
doing  general  sporting  work.  He  has  done 
good  service  as  a  news-gatherer  for  the 
paper.  The  district  attorney  of  Suffolk 
County  made  an  effort,  a  few  years  ago,  to 
have  him  imprisoned  because  he  would  not 
inform  the  Grand  Jury  where  he  received 
his  information  of  the  confession,  by  a  man 
in  New  Mexico,  of  having  killed  Lane  at 
Dorchester.  The  attempt  to  punish,  how- 
ever, was  unsuccessful.  He  was  correspon- 
dent of  the  New  York  "World"  and  St. 
Louis  "  Republican  "  for  over  two  years.  He 
figured  prominently  with  other  reporters,  a 
short  time  ago,  in  the  investigation  of  Chief 
Inspector  Hanscom  before  the  Police  Com- 
missioners. During  his  newspaper  experience 
he  has  been  engaged  in  many  notable  cases. 


A* 


Taylor,  Albert  M.,  reporter,  born  in 
Boston,  Mass.,  Feb.  20,  1866.  Attended  the 
public  schools  until  1879.  Entered  the 
office  of  the  Boston  "  Daily  Globe  "  as  a  space 
writer.     He  is  now  a  reporter  of  day  locals. 


^^  Taylor,  John  N.,  sporting  editor  of  the 
Boston  "  Daily  Globe,"  born  in  Hallo  well, 
Me.,  Sept.  23,  1859.  He  is  a  graduate  from 
the  Hallowell  Classical  and  Scientific  Acad- 
emy, and  was  a  telegraph  operator  in  Hal- 
lowell, later  operated  at  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  Company's  office  in  Boston  for 
two  years.  Thence  he  entered  the  "  Globe  " 
office  as  the  press  operator,  in  which  capacity 
he  was  employed  during  four  years.  He 
soon  did  reportorial  work,  was  promoted  to 
the  position  of  assistant  night  editor,  and 
subsequently  advanced  to  his  present  posi- 
tion. He  is  recognized  by  newspaper  men 
as  an  enterprising  journalist  of  ready  re- 
sources, and  has  many  times  won  applause 
from  the  journalistic  fraternity  for  his  bold 
and  successful  methods  of  getting  news. 
His   reputation  as    a   receiver  of  press   de- 


spatches is  one  of  the  best  in  the  country, 
for  at  one  sitting  he  "took"  27,500  words 
of  news.  The  wire  was  acknowledged  by  all 
operators  to  be  the  "  hottest "  in  the  United 
States.  Patrick  Ayers,  Bob  Martin,  Frank 
Klein,  and  Mr.  Waugh  manipulated  the  New 
York  end  of  the  wire  at  the  time.  Mr. 
Taylor  did  effective  service,  while  night  editor 
of  the  "  Globe,"  by  his  rapid  work  in  going  to 
Farmington,  Me.,  in  October,  1886,  at  the  time 
of  the  big  fire  in  that  town,  and  sending  to  the 
"  Sunday-Globe"  the  only  account  published 
outside  of  a  few  local  papers  in  Maine. 

His  knowledge  of  telegraphy  served  him 
well  on  this  trip.  In  the  spring  of  1887  the 
yacht  races  between  the  "  Volunteer,"  "  Pur- 
itan," "  Priscilla,"  and  "  Mayflower  "  excited 
the  curiosity  of  the  country,  and  the  Boston 
journals  were  eager  to  command  the  news 
for  this  section.  Competition  was  lively 
among  the  representatives  of  the  different 
Boston  newspapers.  There  were  only  two 
wires  from  Boston  to  Marblehead  Neck.  The 
Boston  "  Herald  "  had  full  control  of  one, 
and  the  "Associated  Press"  of  the  other. 
It  was  said  that  the  "  Globe  "  would  fail  to  get 
the  news.  Mr.  Taylor  was  assigned  to  the 
discouraging  task  of  obtaining  the  details  of 
the  race,  and  thus  uphold  the  reputation 
of  his  paper.  He  began  work  the  night  be- 
fore the  race,  hired  a  telephone  wire,  bor- 
rowed a  sufficient  amount  of  battery,  made 
a  telegraph  circuit  of  it,  and  not  only  saved 
his  paper  from  loss  of  news,  but  sent  his  re- 
port ahead  of  all  other  papers  in  the  city  on 
the  start  and  finish  of  the  race.  Again,  dur- 
ing the  famous  yacht  race  between  the  "  Vol- 
unteer "  and  "  Thistle,"  he  extended  the  wire 
from  the  editorial  room  to  a  platform  in 
front  of  the  building,  and  had  it  put  through 
to  Sandy  Hook,  defeating  the  other  Boston 
papers  all  the  way  from  five  minutes  to  half 
an  hour  on  bulletins.  He  was  made  sport- 
ing editor  in  April,  1888.  His  first  notable 
work  in  that  department  was  on  the  arrival 
from  Europe  of  Mr.  John  L.  Sullivan.  Mr. 
Taylor  laid  in  wait  in  a  tug,  outside  the  Bos- 
ton light,  for  two  days,  and  was  the  first  per- 
son to  shake  hands  with  the  famous  pugilist, 


MARGARET    G     REYNOLDS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


335 


and  telegraph  sighting  of  ship  from  Hull,  and 
he  arrived  in  this  city  while  the  Cunarder  got 
quarantine.  As  Mr.  Taylor  was  leaving  the 
tug  at  Rowe's  wharf  for  the  "  Globe  "  office, 
other  Boston  reporters  were  just  departing 
from  Commercial  wharf  for  quarantine.  At 
eight  o'clock  A.M.  the  first  edition  of  the 
"  Globe "  was  issued,  and  two  hours  later 
the  second  extra  edition  appeared,  containing 
Mr.  Taylor's  interview  with  the  champion, 
which  was  of  much  interest  to  many  Bosto- 
nians.  This  second  edition  was  sold  on  the 
street  as  Mr.  Sullivan  and  his  party  drove  by 
the  "  Globe "  office  in  a  carriage.  The 
other  papers'  reports  came  out  four  and 
one-half  hours  later.  Mr.  Taylor  has  suc- 
cessfully managed  the  "  Globe's "  famous 
newsboy's  base-ball  team.  He  is  an  old 
ball  player  and  all-round  athlete. 

$  "T  Wright,  John  B.,  journalist,  born  in 
Charlestown,  Mass.,  in  February,  1854.  He 
was  left  an  orphan  when  but  a  mere  lad,  and 
became  the  protege  of  a  friend,  who  encour- 
aged him  substantially,  sent  him  to  school, 
and  he  graduated  from  the  Warren  Grammar 
School  at  Charlestown.  He  entered  the 
Charlestown  Navy  Yard  to  learn  the  black- 
smith's trade,  and  while  at  work  there  he  had 
the  fingers  of  one  hand  crushed  by  a  heavy 
sledge,  which  necessitated  the  amputation  of 
one  finger.  While  in  service  at  the  Navy 
Yard  he  studied  phonography,  and  grew  very 
proficient  in  that  branch  of  knowledge.  After 
five  years  and  a  half  of  labor  at  the  Navy 
Yard,  Mr.  Wright  entered  upon  his  career  as 
a  newspaper  man,  and  commenced  to  gather 
news  for  the  Charlestown  "  Advertiser  "  early 
in  the  seventies.  Following  his  journalistic 
bent,  his  activity  led  him  to  become  a  member 
of  the  reportorial  staff  of  the  Boston  "  Daily 
News,"  and  he  won  distinction  among  his 
associates  on  that  paper.  The  demise  of  the 
"  Daily  News  "  caused  Mr.  Wright  to  transfer 
his  work  to  the  Woonsocket "  Patriot,"  where 
he  performed  the  duties  of  editor,  as  well  as 
covering  all  the  reportorial  fields  known  to  a 
first-class  or  all-round  journalist.  In  1876 
he  joined  the  reportorial  staff  of  the  Boston 


"  Herald,"  and  for  a  period  often  years  he  and 
his  friend  and  brother  journalist,  Mr.  Thomas 
F.  Keenan,  were  identified  with  many  leading 
and  important  events  connected  with  their 
paper.     Mr.  Wright's  capabilities  have  been 
evinced  frequently  in  the  handling  of  criminal 
matters  requiring  much  tact  and  great  deli- 
cacy.    His  political  articles  have  often  com- 
manded words  of  praise,  which  is  due  to  his 
active  interest  in  and    knowledge  of  public 
affairs.     During  General  Butler's  campaigns, 
beginning  in  1878,  and  up  to  the  close  of 
1884,  Mr.  Wright  accompanied  the  general 
throughout  the  field,  faithfully  reporting  the 
incidents  and  speeches  for  the  Boston  "  Her- 
ald."    He  wrote  the  vivid  pen-pictures  of  the 
Mechanics'  Hall  Convention  for  the  Boston 
"  Herald,"  and  the  Boston  "  Herald  "  men 
being  the  only  reporters  inside  the  hall  up  to 
eight    o'clock  on  that  memorable  morning, 
they  sent  columns  of  news  over  the  wires  to 
the  "  Herald."     In  1883,  while  General  But- 
ler was  governor,  Mr.   Wright's  fealty  was 
recognized  by  him,  and  the  general  appointed 
him  to  the  position  of  assistant  private  secre- 
tary.    At  the  close  of  General  Butler's  term 
of  office  Mr.  Wright  returned  to  his  post  on 
the  "  Herald,"  where  he  now  remains,  filling 
the  position   of  assistant   city  editor.      His 
fluent  pen  is  never  idle,  and  many  Bostonians 
have    read     his   correspondence    under   the 
nom  de plume  of  the  "  Sentinel  at  the  Outer 
Gate."    He  did  excellent  work  on  the  Costley 
and  Jennie  Clarke  murder  cases,  and  over  a 
year  ago  unmasked  the  Peter  Frub  Faculty, 
otherwise  known  as  the  Druid  University  of 
Maine.     In  prosecution  of  this  exposure  Mr. 
Wright  had  the  degree  of  M.D.   conferred 
on  him  by  the  "  Druids."     His  utter  dislike 
for  hypocrisy  and  sham  and  his  manly  con- 
duct on  all  occasions  have  won  him  the  es- 
teem of  the  community.     He  is  wedded  to 
domestic  life,  and  his  estimable  wife  is  a  sister 
of  Col.  Chas.  H.  Taylor,  of  the  Boston  "  Daily 
Globe,"  and  also  Mr.  Nathaniel  H.  Taylor, 
private   secretary  to  ex-Mayor  O'Brien.     Mr. 
Wright  was  for  many  years  an  active  member 
of  the  Volunteer   Fire  Department  of   old 
Charlestown.  He  comes  from  Dublin  ancestry. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES 


OF 


PAST    AND    PRESENT    MEMBERS    OF    THE 

PUBLIC    SERVICE. 


SKETCHES    OF    PAST    AND    PRESENT    MEMBERS 
OF    THE    PUBLIC    SERVICE. 


THE   town    of  Boston   was    established  by  the  passage  of  the 
order  of  the    Court  of  Assistants  on    the    17th    Sept.     [7th 
O.S.],    1630. 

The  first  city  government  was  organized  on  the  1st  of  May, 
1822.  Roxbury  was  first  recognized  by  the  Court  of  Assistants  as  a 
town  on  the  8th  Oct.,  1630.  It  was  incorporated  as  a  city  on  the  12th 
March,  1846,  and  annexed  to  Boston  6th  Jan.,  1868;  accepted  9th 
Sept.  Dorchester  was  named  by  the  Court  of  Assistants  in  the  same 
order  in  which  Boston  was  named ;  and  it  retained  its  town  organi- 
zation until  annexed  to  Boston  on  the  3d  Jan.,  1870;  accepted  22d 
June.  Charlestown  was  founded  4th  July,  1629;  incorporated  as  a 
city  in  1847;  annexed  to  Boston,  5th  Jan.,  1874;  accepted,  7th  Oct. 
West  Roxbury  was  incorporated  as  a  town  on  the  24th  March,  1851  ; 
annexed  to  Boston  on  5th  Jan.,  1874;  accepted,  7th  Oct.  Brighton 
was  incorporated  as  a  town  in  1806;  annexed  to  Boston  on  the  5th 
Jan.,  1874;   accepted,  7th  Oct. 

ORATORS    OF   BOSTON 

Appointed  by  the  public  authorities  on  the  Anniversary  of  the  Boston  Massacre, 

March  j,  1770. 

1774.    Hon.  John  Hancock. 
1783.    Thomas  Welsh,  M.D. 

ORATORS   OF  BOSTON 

Appointed  by  the  public  authorities  on  the  Anniversary  of  the  National  Inde- 
pendence, fuly  4,  1776. 

1803.  Hon.  William  Sullivan. 

1808.  Andrew  Ritchie. 

1883.  Rev.  H.  Bernard  Carpenter. 

1885.  Thomas  J.  Gargan. 

(339) 


340  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

SELECTMEN   OF   THE  TOWN   OF  BOSTON   FROM    1 634  TO    1 82 1. 

The  earliest  entry  preserved  in  the  Town  Records  is  dated  Sept. 
I,  1634,  and  a  board  often  citizens  were  in  office  atthat  date.  Even 
at  this  early  period  there  were  men  of  Irish  birth  holding  positions 
of  honor  and  trust  in  the  city  government. 

These  gentlemen  held  office  as  follows :  — 

Oct.  6,  1634.  Richard  Bellingham  and  John  Coggan  or 
Cogan. 

April  29,   1639.     John  Cogan  reelected. 

Dec.  16,  1639.  John  Cogan  reelected.  William  Hibbens 
elected. 

Sept.  28,  1640.  Cogan,  Bellingham,  and  Hibbens  chosen, 
with  five  others. 

March  20,  1642-43.     Bellingham  and  Hibbens  elected. 

Sept.  25,  1643.     Same  two  reelected. 

May  17,  1644.     Hibbens  reelected. 

April  10,  1645.     Same  reelected. 

Dec.  26,  1645.     Same  reelected. 

William  Paddy,  1655  to  1658. 

Thomas  Hancock,  1740  to  1746;   1748  to  1753. 

In  1640,  William  Hibbens  was  the  Town  Treasurer. 

assessors. 

Thomas  C.  Amory,  1827. 
James  Ritchie,  1870. 
John  J.  Murphy,  1885. 
John  M.  Maguire,  1885. 

Joseph  O'Kane  has  been  the  Clerk  of  the  Common  Council 
since   1885. 

FIRE   DEPARTMENT. 
THOMAS  C.  AMORY  was  Chief  Engineer  in  1829. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  341 

SUPERINTENDENT   OF   STREETS. 

1883.  James  J.  Flynn.1 

1884.  Michael  Meehan.2 
1886.    John  W.  McDonald.3 

SUPERINTENDENT   OF   LAMPS. 

1883,  1885  to  1888.     Hugh  J.  To  land. 

The  City  Architect  in  1883  and  1888  was  CHARLES  J.  BATEMAN. 

OUR   MAYORS. 

1878.  Henry  L.  Pierce,  who  is  of  Irish  descent,  born  in 
Stoughton,  Mass.,  Aug.  23,  1825. 

1885  to  1889.     Hugh  O'Brien,  born  in  Ireland,  July  13,  1827. 

1888.  Thomas  Norton  Hart,  of  Irish  descent,  born  in 
North  Reading  in  1829.     He  came  to  Boston  in  1842. 

THE   CITY   GOVERNMENT   OF   BOSTON,    ORGANIZED   IN    1 822. 

The  names  of  the  men  of  Irish  birth  and  descent  who  have  been 
members  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  and  members  of  the  Common 
Council  are  given  below:  — 

aldermen. 

1825.    Daniel  Carney. 

1825.  Thomas  Welsh,  Jr. 

1826.  Daniel  Carney. 

1826.  Thomas  Welsh,  Jr. 

1827.  Thomas  Welsh,  Jr. 
1827.    Jeremiah  Smith  Boies. 


1  Died,  1884. 

2  From  July  21,  1884,  to  Aug.  3, 1885. 
sFrom  August,  1885,  to  1888. 


342 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


: 859-63,  inclusive.    Thomas  Coffin  Amory,  Jr. 

870.  Christopher  Augustus  Connor. 
:  872-75,  inclusive.    James  Power. 
875,  '76,  '77,  '79,  '80,  '81,  '83.    Hugh  O'Brien. 

:877.  John  E.  Fitzgerald. 
:  879-8 1.    James  Joseph  Flynn. 

;882.  Thomas  Norton  Hart. 

:883.  Thomas  Henry  Devlin. 

883.  Paul  Henry  Kendricken. 

883.  William  Joseph  Welch. 

:884.  James  H.  Nugent. 

:884.  John  W.  McDonald. 

885.  Patrick  J.  Donovan. 

885.  William  J.  Welch. 

.885.  Thomas  N.  Hart. 

885.  Jeremiah  H.  Mullane. 

885.  James  H.  Nugent. 
:886.  Patrick  J.  Donovan. 

886.  Michael  Barr. 
886.  John  H.  Sullivan. 
886.  Thomas  N.  Hart. 

:886.  William  P.  Carroll. 

886.  Patrick  James  Maguire. 
:887.  Patrick  J.  Donovan. 

887.  John  H.  Sullivan. 
:887.  John  A.  McLaughlin. 
887.  William  P.  Carroll. 
:887.  Patrick  James  Maguire. 

887.  John  H.  Lee. 

888.  Philip  J.  Doherty. 
:888.  John  A.  McLaughlin. 

888.  William  P.  Carroll,  to  Jan.  28,  1888. 

:888.  John  C.  Short. 

:888.  James  A.  Murphy,  from  Feb.  21,  1888.     Spe- 
cial election. 

1889.  John  C.  Short. 


BIO  GRAPHICAL    SKE  TCHES. 


343 


1889.    James  A.  Murphy. 
1889.     Philip  J.  Doherty. 
1889.    John  A.  McLaughlin. 

City  Clerk. 
1887-88.    Joseph  H.  O'Neil. 

Many  efforts  were  made  to  obtain  sketches  of  all  the  past  and 
present  members  of  the  public  service,  but  for  lack  of  data  and  on 
account  of  the  slowness  of  many  persons  to  furnish  information, 
some  sketches  are  omitted  necessarily.  However,  a  full  and  com- 
plete list  of  the  names  of  the  councilmen  is  given,  with  the  dates  of 
their  service  where  no  sketch  appears. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


Amory,  Thomas  C,  the  distinguished 
lawyer,  scholar,  and  author.  He  is  a  grad- 
uate of  Harvard  University,  of  the  class  of 
1830,  which  numbered  Charles  Sumner 
among  its  members.  He  has  been  active  in 
the  affairs  of  the  Boston  Provident  Asso- 
ciation and  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and 
has  also  taken  much  interest  in  the  Massa- 
chusetts Historical  Society,  of  both  of  which 
he  is  a  member.  About  1 885  or  1 886  he  pub- 
lished a  pamphlet  vindicating  his  ancestor, 
Gen.  John  Sullivan,  from  the  charges  of 
the  historian  Bancroft.  He  is  the  author  of  a 
valuable  work,  "  The  Transfer  of  Erin."  He 
has  done  honor  to  a  name  which  has  long 
been  prominent  in  the  high  social,  intellectual 
life  of  Boston.  His  valuable  services  ren- 
dered to  the  city  of  Boston  while  he  was  a 
member  of  the  city  government  are  inesti- 
mable. In  the  years  of  1836,  '37,  '38,  '39, 
'40,  '41,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council.  Thomas  C.  Amory,  Jr.,  was  chair- 
man of  the  Board  of  Alderman  in  1863,  and 
had  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  during 
the  years  1859,  '60,  '61,  '62,  and  '63. 

Bagley,  Frank  E.,  clerk,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, Nov.  10,  1857.  Graduated  at  the  Old 
Winthrop  School,  of  Charlestown,  in  1873, 


and  afterward  became  clerk  in  a  brush  store 
till  1 88 1.  About  that  time  he  engaged  as 
laborer  for  the  Philadelphia  Steamship  Com- 
pany, and  in  1885  was  promoted  to  his  present 
position  as  receiving-clerk.  He  is  treasurer 
of  the  St.  Francis  de  Sales  Y.M.T.A.  Society, 
and  president  of  the  Druids.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Common  Council  from  Ward 
3  in  1888-89. 

Barr,  Michael,  truckman,  born  in  Ire- 
land in  1836.  He  was  educated  in  the 
national  schools  of  his  native  place.  At 
the  age  of  fourteen  he  became  a  youthful 
contractor,  and  in  January,  1855,  immigrated 
to  America,  landing  in  New  York,  but  finally 
settled  in  Boston,  where  he  has  since  been 
located.  He  has  followed  the  business  of 
truckman  for  twenty-four  years.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Common  Council  in  1876— 
83,  and  represented  the  Third  District  in 
the  Aldermanic  Chamber  during  1886. 

Barry,  David  F. ,  salesman  in  the  whole- 
sale paper  warehouse  of  Marshall,  Son,  & 
Co.,  of  this  city,  where  he  has  been  employed 
for  the  past  sixteen  years;  born  in  Boston  in 
1852.  He  graduated  from  the  Quincy  Cram- 
mar  School  with  the  class  of  1867.     During 


344 


THE    IRISH   IN  BOSTON. 


his  boyhood  he  was  ambitious  to  acquire  a 
knowledge  of  the  advanced  studies,  and  de- 
voted his  evenings  and  spare  hours  during 
the  day  to  reading.  Mr.  Barry  met  with  the 
favor  of  the  Democratic  party  in  1879,  when 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council,  and  served  in  that  branch  of  the 
city  government  for  nine  years.  He  was 
president  of  the  Council  two  years,  1 887-88. 
Mr.  Barry's  services  on  committee  work  have 
always  been  of  great  value  to  the  city,  and 
they  covered  nearly  all  of  the  different  and 
several  committees  appointed  to  supervise 
and  execute  matters  pertaining  to  the  prog- 
ress and  development  of  Boston. 

President  Barry  was  a  firm  and  constant 
friend  of  the  members  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic;  they  have  attested  their 
belief  in  his  sincerity  and  his  good  deeds  on 
their  behalf  on  many  occasions.  John  A. 
Andrew  Post  15  presented  an  elegant  gold 
watch  and  chain  to  him  on  Jan.  25,  1888, 
as  a  practical  avowal  of  regard. 

He  assisted  in  entertaining  President 
Cleveland  when  he  visited  Boston  accom- 
panied by  his  wife,  and  he  also  was 
appointed  one  of  a  committee  to  extend 
courtesies  to  Queen  Kapiolani  upon  her 
arrival  in  this  city,  in  recognition  of  the 
favorable  and  friendly  business  relations  then 
existing  between  the  merchants  of  the  Sand- 
wich Islands  and  those  of  Boston. 

Councilman  Barry  was  reelected  to  the 
lower  branch  of  the  city  government  for 
1887.  He  is  the  son  of  David  Barry  (now 
deceased),  who  was  well  known  to  the 
Irish  people  of  Boston  over  forty  years 
ago.  The  latter  carried  on  the  business  of 
a  wheelwright  and  shipwright  in  East  Boston, 
in  1845,  enlisted  in  the  United  States  volun- 
teer service  and  went  to  the  Mexican  War. 
About  1849  he  moved  to  the  city  proper,  and 
established  his  business  on  Cove  street, 
where  it  flourished  for  seventeen  years. 
Thence  he  removed  to  Castle  street  with  his 
family,  which  consisted  of  two  sons  and 
a  daughter.  The  latter  died  at  sixteen  years 
of  age.  Councilman  Barry's  father  was  an 
active  participant    in    the    benevolent    and 


political  duties  of  the  citizens  of  his  day, 
particularly  those  which  were  designed  to  aid 
his  countrymen.  He  was  one  of  the  com- 
mittee of  one  hundred  who  formed  an 
association  for  the  naturalization  of  Irishmen 
in  Boston  during  Know-nothing  times,  in 
1856. 

Barry,  Edward  P.1 

Barry,  James  J.,  assistant  inspector  of 
buildings,  born  at  London,  England,  of  Irish 
parents,  Aug.  II,  1851.  He  immigrated  to 
Boston  in  1857.  He  studied  at  the  Boston 
public  schools  until  1865.  He  was  appren- 
ticed to  the  mason's  trade  in  1867,  which 
he  followed  until  Oct.  1,  1880,  when  he  was 
appointed  to  his  present  position  of  inspector. 
He  was  first  assistant  assessor  in  18S0,  and 
served  in  the  Common  Council,  representing 
Ward  22,  during  the  years  1877,  '78,  '79. 
He  has  been  actively  identified  with  military 
affairs,  and  he  is  considered  an  excellent 
disciplinarian,  tactician,  and  an  efficient  offi- 
cer. He  is  a  member  of  Company  C,  Ninth 
Massachusetts  Volunteer    Militia,    and    has 

been  captain  of  that  well-known  company, 
v 

Barry,  Patrick  T.,  merchant  tailor,  born 
in  Charlestown,  March  17,  1856.  He  at- 
tended the  Prescott  Grammar  School  until 
nine  years  of  age,  when  he  became  employed 
in  a  dry-goods  store  as  cash-boy.  He  after- 
wards worked  at  various  occupations  until 
he  engaged  in  the  tailoring  business  in  1885, 
on  his  own  account.  He  is  now  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Barry  &  Brown,  merchant 
tailors.  He  represented  Ward  3  as  a  Demo- 
crat in  the  Legislature  of  1884-85,  is  presi- 
dent of  St.  Mary's  Temperance  Society, 
treasurer  of  St.  Francis  de  Sales  Society,  and 
a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

Belford,  Charles  A.,  restaurateur,  born 
in  Brighton,  Mass.,  Oct.  19,  1830.  In  1835 
he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Fort  Hill 
square,  and  in  1S38  to  Roxbury,  where  he 

1  See  Journalists. 


BIO  GRAPHIC  A I    SKE  TCHES. 


345 


has  since  resided.  He  graduated  from  the 
Eliot  Grammar  School  in  1848;  afterward 
engaged  with  his  father  in  the  nursery  busi- 
ness. He  entered  the  customs  service  in 
1S57,  and  remained  till  1861;  was  subse- 
quently conductor  on  the  Metropolitan  Rail- 
road. From  1864  to  1874  he  filled  the  posi- 
tion of  chief  engineer  of  the  Roxbury  Fire 
Department,  at  a  salary  of  $2,100  per  year. 
This  office  was  abolished  at  the  time  of  the 
Roxbury  annexation.  At  the  reorganization 
of  the  department  he  introduced  steam-en- 
gines instead  of  the  hand-machines. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Charitable  Irish 
Society  and  Young  Men's  Catholic  Associa- 
tion. 

Bent,  James,  Democrat,  born  in  County 
Wexford,  Ireland,  Nov.  2,  1837.  Died  Feb- 
ruary, 1889.  In  1846  he  came  to  this  coun- 
try. He  received  a  public-school  education; 
learned  the  shoe  business,  but  later  changed 
his  occupation.  In  1869  he  was  an  inspector 
of  voters;  in  1871,  a  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic Ward  and  City  Committee ;  represented 
Ward  2  in  the  Common  Council  of  1874-75, 
and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  North 
End  Fishing  Club. 

Bishop,  Robert,  cotton-waste  manufact- 
urer, born  at  County  Limerick,  Ireland, 
June,  1838.  He  came  to  Boston  with  his 
parents  in  1840,  and  was  sent  to  the  Boston 
public  schools  when  seven  years  of  age.  He 
left  school  without  completing  the  full  gram- 
mar-school course,  and  was  apprenticed  to 
Messrs.  Wright  &  Hasty,  printers,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  i860;  he  entered 
Holy  Cross  College,  at  Worcester,  Mass., 
under  the  rectorship  of  Rev.  Fr.  Champi, 
S.J.  He  studied  two  years  at  the  college, 
when  sickness  compelled  him  to  withdraw. 
In  1863  he  engaged  m  the  cotton-waste  busi- 
ness for  himself,  with  a  very  small  capital 
(not  more  than  two  hundred  dollars).  By 
his  arduous  labor  and  exceptionally  fine 
management  the  capital  was  increased,  and 
the  business  was  developed  to  its  present  large 
proportions.     Mr.  Bishop's  annual  volume  of 


import  and  export  trade  amounts  to  over 
$750,000.  His  pay-roll  foots  up  a  weekly 
payment  of  $1,200.  He  manufactures  rail- 
road waste  and  wadding  for  domestic  trade 
in  his  large  establishments  at  South  Boston, 
which  comprises  a  main  factory  building 
202  X  45  feet,  a  store-house,  100  X  60  feet, 
and  a  sorting-house,  100  X  80  feet.  These 
buildings  are  on  three  streets ;  namely,  Sixth, 
Seventh,  and  Tudor.  The  assessed  value  of 
his  real  and  personal  property  covers  about 
$300,000.  In  1868  and  1870  he  was  a 
Democratic  member  of  the  Common  Council. 

Bonner,  Dennis,  teamster,  born  in  Done- 
gal, Ireland,  in  January,  1821.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  his  native  place,  and 
immigrated  to  this  country  in  1842,  and 
located  in  Boston,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. Since  1845  he  has  been  in  business 
as  a  teamster.  He  represented  old  Ward  1 
(now  Ward  2)  in  the  Common  Council  of 
1862,  '63,  '70,  '71,  and  in  the  Legislature  of 
1873-74.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Charita- 
ble Irish  Society  for  about  ten  years. 

Boyle,  John  J.,  salesman,  born  in  Boston, 
July  4,  1848.  He  attended  the  Phillips 
School,  and  went  to  work  when  twelve  years 
of  age.  He  was  first  employed  at  the  paint- 
ing trade.  In  1861  he  became  connected 
with  Cutter,  Tower,  &  Co.,  stationers,  and 
shortly  afterward  engaged  with  A.  Storrs  in 
Cornhill,  later  A.  Storrs  Bement  Company, 
and  has  been  with  them  ever  since,  serving 
in  various  capacities,  from  errand-boy  to  his 
present  position  as  head  clerk  and  salesman. 
He  represented  Ward  8  in  the  Common 
Council  of  1881,  '82,  '83.  He  was  at  one 
time  first  lieutenant  Company  A,  Ninth  Regi- 
ment; is  now  captain  of  Montgomery  Vet- 
eran Association,  having  been  elected  three 
years;  and  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Order 
of  Foresters,  Charitable  Irish  Society,  Royal 
Order  Good  Fellows,  and  Knights  of  St. 
Rose. 

Brady,  Thomas    M.,   superintendent    of 
marble  work,  born  in  Boston,  Nov.  28,  1849. 


346 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


He  graduated  as  a  Franklin  medal  scholar 
from  the  Eliot  School  in  1866,  and  afterward 
attended  the  English  High  School  and  the 
Institute  of  Technology,  where  he  learned 
the  principles  of  architecture  and  drawing. 
He  later  served  an  apprenticeship  at  the 
marble  business  with  Arioch  Wentworth,  and 
subsequently  acted  in  the  capacity  of  fore- 
man. About  this  time  he  became  a  resident 
of  Somerville,  and  Served  two  years  in  the 
Common  Council  of  that  city.  He  was  for 
six  years  president  of  Division  17,  A.O.H., 
and  for  several  years  president  of  the  local 
branch  of  the  Irish  Land  League,  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Democratic  Ward  and  City  Com- 
mittee. After  marriage  he  removed  to  South 
Boston,  and  interested  himself  in  the  Irish 
National  League.  He  was  elected  president 
of  the  Municipal  Council,  I.N.L.,  of  Boston, 
and  was  appointed  by  National  President 
Patrick  Egan  to  the  office  of  State  Executive 
for  Massachusetts,  upon  the  retirement  of 
Thomas  Flatley,  in  which  capacity  he  led  the 
Massachusetts  delegation  to  the  Chicago 
Convention  of  1886.  He  gave  much  time 
to  public  speeches  in  this  vicinity  in  favor  of 
home  rule  for  Ireland.  In  1S77  he 
accepted  his  present  position  as  superintend- 
ent of  the  American  Marble  Company, 
Marietta,  Ga.  On  Nov.  28,  1887,  he  was 
tendered  a  farewell  banquet  at  the  Parker 
House,  at  which  John  Boyle  O'Reilly  pre- 
sided, and  Hon.  P.  A.  Collins  and  others  in- 
terested in  the  Irish  cause  were  present. 

Brawley,  John  P.,  assistant  clerk  of 
committees  of  the  city  government,  Boston, 
Mass.;  born  in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  Aug.  29, 
1 849.  He  graduated  from  the  Comins  Gram- 
mar School,  1861,  and  studied  for  three  years 
after  at  the  English  High  School.  He  went 
into  the  wholesale  millinery  business  with 
J.  W.  Plympton  &  Co.,  as  clerk,  and  later 
acted  in  the  capacity  of  book-keeper  until 
1873,  when  he  engaged  with  his  father  in  the 
building  business.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Common  Council  in  1878-79.  He  intro- 
duced an  important  order  to  revise  and  im- 
prove  the    financial    system  of  the   city  in 


regard  to  large  loans  and  the  methods  of 
borrowing  and  accounting  for  the  city's 
money.  He  insisted  that  premiums  on  loans, 
as  well  as  the  principal,  belonged  to  the  city, 
and  should  be  accounted  for  and  not  expended 
for  any  purpose  without  an  order  from  the 
City  Council.  The  measure  met  with  a  strong 
opposition,  but  was  passed  finally.  He  dis- 
played good  business  tact  while  purchasing- 
agent  for  the  Improved  Sewerage  Works 
during  1S79  and  1880. 

He  was  a  clerk  in  the  City  Registrar's 
office  in  1881.  He  was  appointed  to  his  pres- 
ent position,  October,  1885. 

Breen,  Daniel  F.,  elected  to  serve  in  the 
Common  Council  for  the  year  1889. 

Brennan,  Daniel  F.,  clerk,  born  in  Kan- 
turk,  County  Cork,  Ireland,  Feb.  3,  1844.  He 
received  a  common-school  education.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  War  he  served  in  the  Forty-third 
Massachusetts  Regiment,  and  afterward  in 
the  United  States  Navy.  He  represented 
Ward  13  in  the  Legislature  of  1882.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  assistant  assessors  of  the  city 
of  Boston  during  1888. 

Burke,  Michael  H.,  inspector  in  the 
sewer  department,  born  in  Boston,  July  15, 
1856.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  this  city.  He  was  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  of  1 886.  He  is  one  of 
the  active  young  Democrats  of  the  vicinity. 

Burke,  William  J.,  steam-boiler  maker, 
born  in  St.  John's,  N.B.,  of  Irish  parentage, 
November,  1837.  He  came  to  this  country  with 
his  parents  when  only  six  months  old.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Boston. 
During  the  war  he  was  foreman  for  James  A. 
Maynard  &  Co.,  afterwards  he  worked  for  the 
Erie  Basin  Iron  Works  of  Brooklyn,  N.Y., 
and  later  he  had  charge  of  the  boiler  depart- 
ment of  the  Beach  Iron  Works.  He  next  went 
into  business  under  the  firm  name  of  McBride 
&  Co.,  and  subsequently  under  his  own  name. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Common  Council 
of  1876,  '77,  and  '78,  from  Ward  2  ;  he  was 
connected  with  the  Boston  Democratic  City 


BIO  GRAPHICAL    SKE  TCHES. 


347 


Committee  for  seven  years,  beginning  in  1876. 
He  was  elected  to  the  General  Court  of  1879, 
'81,  and  '82.  In  the  latter  year  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  John  S.  Damrell  as  inspector  of 
elevators  in  the  department  for  the  survey 
and  inspection  of  buildings,  and  was  con- 
firmed by  Mayor  Green.  In  1887  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  East  Boston  Ferries,  appre- 
ciating his  ability,  offered  him  his  present 
position  as  superintendent  of  ferries.  In 
February,  1 88  7,  he  was  appointed  by  Secretary 
Whitney  as  civilian  expert,  to  examine  candi- 
dates for  the  position  of  master  blacksmith, 
master  sail-maker,  and  foreman  galley-maker 
at  the  Charlestown  Navy  Yard.  He  is  a 
prominent  Democrat,  and  resides  in  East 
Boston. 

Butler,  Thomas  C,  hotel  keeper,  born 
in  Bandon,  County  Cork,  Ireland,  Jan.  6, 
1842.  He  came  to  this  country  with  his 
parents  when  two  years  of  age,  and  located 
in  Boston,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  this 
city,  and  has  been  for  many  years  engaged 
in  the  hotel  business.  He  took  an  active 
interest  in  aquatic  matters  early  in  life, 
and  for  several  years  was  a  prominent 
oarsman.  In  1868  and  1869  he  held  the 
single-scull  championship  of  New  Eng- 
land. He  has  been  instrumental  in  bringing 
many  oarsmen  into  prominence,  has  a  very 
extended  knowledge  of  aquatics,  was  the 
first  to  introduce  the  "  working  boat,"  and  is 
a  prominent  member  of  the  West  End  Boat 
Club.  He  was  the  winner  of  the  single- 
scull  race  in  the  Boston  City  Regatta,  July  4, 
1 87 1,  and  with  his  brother,  J.  H.  Butler,  won 
the  double-shell  races  of  1869-70,  and  with 
other  partners  in  the  regattas  of  1871,  '72, 
'74,  '78.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic Ward  and  City  Committee  for  about 
ten  years,  represented  Ward  8  in  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  1874  and  in  the  Legislature 
of  1882-83. 

Calnan,  Patrick  J.,  manufacturer,  born 
in  Roxbury,  Nov.  25,  1847.  He  received 
his  education  in  the,  public  schools.     He  has 


been  a  non-commissioned  officer  of  the  Ninth 
Regiment,  M.V.M.,  and  is  at  present  a  shoe- 
stock  manufacturer,  residing  in  Charlestown. 
In  1887  he  represented  Ward  5  in  the  Legis- 
lature. 

Cannon,  John  J.,  Democrat,  born  in 
Castlebar,  County  Mayo,  Ireland,  May  2, 
1852.  He  came  to  this  country  when  seven 
years  of  age,  and  attended  the  Mayhew 
School  of  this  city.  He  afterwards  learned 
his  trade  as  a  shoemaker,  and  worked  at  the 
business  for  about  seven  years,  two  of  which 
were  in  Baltimore,  Md.  He  represented 
Ward  8  in  the  Common  Council  of  1882. 
He  is  one  of  the  prominent  Democrats  of  the 
West  End,  and  a  member  of  the  A.O.H.  and 
A.O.  Foresters. 

Cannon,  Patrick,  clerk,  born  in  Mayo 
County,  Ireland,  April  29,  1853.  He  came 
to  this  country  in  1857,  and  located  in  Boston. 
He  attended  St.  Mary's  Parochial  School 
until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  left  to 
serve  an  apprenticeship  at  granite  cutting. 
He  was  employed  at  his  trade  about  five 
years,  and  then  engaged  with  Austin  Cannon. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Common  Council 
in  1888,  and  was  reelected  to  serve  during 
1889. 

Cannon,  Peter,  born  in  Castlebar,  County 
Mayo,  Ireland,  June  25,  1825;  died  1889. 
He  was  educated  at  the  National  School, 
Cloonkeen,  County  Mayo.  He  came  to  Bos- 
ton, July  20,  1850,  and  first  entered  the  shoe 
business  on  his  own  account.  In  1 87 1  he 
changed  his  business,  and  began  the  sale  of 
liquors.  He  served  in  the  Common  Council 
of  1877-78  and  in  the  Legislature  of  1880- 
81  from  the  seventh  ward. 

Carberry,  William  H.,  iron  founder, 
born  in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  Feb.  22,  1851.  He 
graduated  from  the  Comins  School,  learned 
his  trade  as  an  iron  moulder,  serving  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  nine  years  with  Alonzo  Jos- 
lyn;  in  1878  he  began  business  on  his  own 
account.     He  served  in  the  Legislature  of 


348 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


1878,  '79,  '80,  from  Ward  22,  being  a  member 
of  the  Committees  on  Rules  and  Orders, 
Federal  Relations,  and  Street  Railways.  In 
1879  he  was  president  of  the  Young  Men's 
Catholic  Lyceum  of  Roxbury,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society. 

Carney,  Michael,  registrar  of  voters, 
born  in  County  Donegal,  Ireland,  in  1829. 
He  was  educated  in  the  Bocan  National  and 
other  schools.  He  came  to  Boston  in  1849, 
and  became  employed  in  the  shipyard  of 
Donald  McKay,  where  he  learned  the  trade 
of  bolting  vessels.  He  later  commenced 
business  on  his  own  account,  and  McKay, 
Briggs  Bros.,  and  other  well-known  ship- 
builders intrusted  to  Mr.  Carney  the  work  of 
bolting  their  vessels.  In  1859  he  engaged 
in  the  fire-insurance  business.  He  was  an 
assessor  of  the  city  from  1859-79,  a  member 
of  the  Common  Council  of  1866,  '67,  '68,  and 
served  in  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives from  1869-76.  He  earnestly  ad- 
vocated the  enactment  of  the  bill  relative  to 
religious  liberty  in  the  prisons,  which  was 
passed  by  a  vote  of  91  to  54.  He  has  been 
for  a  number  of  years  on  the  Board  of  Regis- 
trars of  Voters. 

Carroll,  Michael  J.,  mason  and  builder, 
born  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  March  16, 1858. 
He  was  educated  in  the  old  Franklin,  Quincy, 
and  Boylston  Schools  of  this  city;  entered  a 
law  office ;  apprenticed  to  the  trade  of  mason 
and  builder  about  fourteen  years  ago,  and  has 
been  at  the  business  ever  since.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Common  Council  of  1887-88, 
and  reelected  for  1889;  a  charter  member  of 
St.  Augustine's  Lyceum,  its  president  during 
1885  and  1886;  Chief  Ranger  of  St.  James 
Court  54  of  Foresters;  accredited  delegate 
to  the  Bricklayers'  International  Union  and 
to  the  Central  Labor  Union  of  1887. 

Carroll,  William  P.,  born  in  South  Bos- 
ton, March  13,  1854;  died  in  this  city,  Janu- 
ary, 1888.  He  studied  at  the  public  schools, 
and  was  withdrawn  at  nine  years  of  age, 
when  he  was  sent  to  work  for  Mr.  William 


E.  Cash,  a  crockery  dealer  on  Washington 
street.  He  returned  to  school  in  1864,  and 
graduated  from  the  Lawrence  Grammar 
School  in  1869.  He  was  an  active  politician, 
and  did  much  effective  political  service  for 
Wards  7  and  13.  He  represented  the 
Fourth  Congressional  District  at  the  Na- 
tional Convention  of  1884.  He  was  presi- 
dent for  four  years  of  the  Seventh  Ward 
Fishing  Club,  a  strong  political  organization. 
He  served  on  the  Board  of  Aldermen  in 
1886,  1887,  and  1888,  and  died  before  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  office.  He  was  a 
forcible  speaker  and  an  earnest  debater.  Mr. 
Carroll  was  the  oldest  of  five  children.  His 
father  enlisted  in  the  old  Ninth  Massachu- 
setts Volunteers  in  1862,  went  to  the  late 
war,  and  was  honorably  discharged  as  ser- 
geant of  Company  I  in  1864. 

Casey,  Frank,  elected  to  serve  in  the 
Common  Council  during  the  year   1889. 

Cavanagh,  George  H.,  contractor,  born 
in  Boston,  June  17,  1839.  He  attended  the 
Quincy,  Hawes,  and  English  High  Schools. 
He  served  in  Company  A,  First  Massachu- 
setts Regiment,  during  the  Civil  War,  and  is 
a  member  of  Post  15,  G.A.R.  In  1866  he 
succeeded  his  father  in  business,  and  has 
continued  ever  since.  In  1879  he  repre- 
sented Ward  15  in  the  Common  Council. 

Collins,  John  A.1 

Collins,  John  J.1 

Collins,  Michael  D.,  sealer  of  weights 
and  measures,  born  in  Ireland,  Sept.  29, 1836. 
He  came  to  America  in  1839,  and  located  in 
Boston,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Old  Eliot  Grammar  School, 
and  Conant's  Commercial  College  of  the 
class  of  1850.  After  leaving  school  he 
served  a  four  years'  apprenticeship  at  Ma- 
goon's  Maiden  Bridge  Shipyard,  and  worked 
continuously  at  ship-building  until  i860, 
when  he  engaged   in  business   for    himself. 

1  See  Lawyers . 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


349 


He  served  in  the  House  of  Representatives 
in  1866-67,  an(^  m  *ne  Common  Council, 
1874-75.  He  occupied  a  position  on  the 
Board  of  Assessors  from  1875  to  1883,  in- 
clusive. He  was  appointed  sealer  of  weights 
and  measures  for  the  city  of  Boston  by 
Mayor  Palmer  in  1875,  which  position  he 
still  retains. 

Collins,  Stephen  J.,  United  States  store 
keeper,  born  in  Charlestown,  Aug.  22,  1862. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  the  Frothingham 
School  in  1S76.  He  shortly  afterward  en- 
tered the  office  of  the  Boston  "  Pilot,"  where 
he  was  for  some  time  employed  in  various 
capacities.  He  subsequently  learned  the 
trade  of  an  upholsterer,  at  which  occupation 
he  was  engaged  until  March,  1886,  when  he 
accepted  a  position  in  the  appraisers'  de- 
partment of  the  Custom  House.  In  June, 
1887,  he  was  promoted  to  the  office  of  store- 
keeper in  the  customs  service. 

Collison,  Harvey  N.1 

Conlin,  Christopher  P.,  marble-tool 
manufacturer,  born  in  East  Boston,  Dec.  25, 
1849.  He  received  his  early  education  at 
the  public  schools,  and  later  learned  his 
trade  as  a  marble-tool  manufacturer.  He 
represented  Ward  2  in  the  Legislature  of 
1883. 

Connelly,  Bartholomew  J.,  builder, 
born  in  Boston,  June  16,  1859.  He  grad- 
uated from  the  Brimmer  School  in  1874,  and 
went  to  work  at  the  building  trade  for  his 
father.  He  served  in  the  Common  Council 
from  Ward  19  in  1886-87,  serving  on  the 
Committees  on  Common,  Inspection  of  Build- 
ings, Sewers,  Stony  Brook,  and  Public  Build- 
ings. He  is  at  present  engaged  as  a  builder, 
with  an  office  in  the  Roxbury  district. 

Costello,  Michael  W.,  machinist,  engi- 
neer, and  inventor,  born  in  Galway,  Ireland, 
Aug.  3,  1852.  He  came  to  this  country  in 
1855,  and  shortly  afterwards  located  in  Bos- 


ton, where  he  attended  the  public  schools. 
At  eleven  years  of  age  he  went  to  work  in  a 
cordage  factory  at  twenty-five  cents  a  day. 
He  subsequently  learned  the  trade  of  a  ma- 
chinist. He  was  connected  with  the  firm  of 
P.  H.  Costello  &  Co.,  furnaces,  etc.  He  is  at 
present  interested  in  patents,  which  pay  him 
a  royalty  sufficient  to  warrant  his  retirement 
from  active  business  life.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Common  Council  in  1879-81  and  the 
Legislature  of  1883.  He  was  one  of  a  com- 
mittee of  three  that  organized  the  first  mass 
meeting  held  in  Faneuil  Hall  in  sympathy 
with  the  Irish  Land  League,  and  in  1 881 
he  presented  a  resolution  of  sympathy  for 
Ireland  in  the  lower  branch  of  the  city 
government. 

Costello,  Patrick  H.,  assistant  inspector 
of  buildings,  born  in  Ballamackard,  County 
Galway,  Ireland,  March  4,  1845.  He  came 
to  this  country  with  his  parents  in  1 848,  and 
settled  in  Roxbury.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools,  and  first  began  work  in 
Day's  Cordage  Factory.  He  afterward  served 
an  apprenticeship  at  the  heating  and  ventilat- 
ing business,  which  trade  he  learned  and  en- 
gaged in  for  several  years.  He  represented 
Ward  22  in  the  Common  Council  of  1885, 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Democratic 
Ward  and  City  Committee  for  five  years,  is 
a  member  of  the  Montgomery  Veteran  Asso- 
ciation, Royal  Arcanum,  Knights  of  Honor, 
and  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters.  He  was 
appointed  inspector  of  buildings  on  Jan.  1, 
li 


Cotter,  James  E.1 

Courtney,  William  F.1 

Creed,  Michael  J.1 

Cronin,  Cornelius  F.1 

Crook,  Michael  J.,  cashier,  born  in 
Boston,  Aug.  28,  1843.  He  attended  the 
Boylston   School  of    this   city,    and    was  a 


*See  Lawyers. 


350 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


Franklin  medal  scholar  of  his  class.  He 
has  been  for  several  years  connected  with  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  and  at 
present  occupies  the  responsible  position  of 
cashier.  In  1872  and  1876  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature. 

Crowley,  Jeremiah  J.,  upholsterer,  born 
in  Boston,  Aug.  31,  1850.  He  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Boylston  School.  He  represented 
Ward  3  in  the  Legislature  of  1879-80,  serving 
on  the  Committees  on  Liquor  Law  and  Labor; 
has  been  an  officer  of  the  Mechanics'  Ap- 
prentice Library  Association,  a  member  of 
St.  Mary's  Y.M.T.  Association,  vice-president 
of  the  National  C.T.A.  Union,  and  State 
Master  Workman,  Knights  of  Labor  of 
Massachusetts. 

Cullen,  Bernard,  late  superintendent  of 
the  Home  for  Destitute  Catholic  Children, 
was  born  in  Cloneen,  Parish  of  Kilmaca- 
traney,  in  the  county  of  Sligo,  Ireland,  in 
1823.  He  studied  at  Thomas  Manning's 
private  school,  and  at  the  National  School  in 
Geevagh.  He  was  the  son  of  James  Cullen 
and  Ann,  nee  Conlon.  James  was  the  son 
of  Dominick  Cullen  and  Bridget,  nee  Drury. 
Ann  was  the  daughter  of  Bernard  and  Mary 
Conlon.  Bernard  Cullen  emigrated  from 
Ireland  in  1847,  and  was  married  to  Johanna 
Aylward  on  July  10,  1856,  by  the  Rev.  Fran- 
cis Lachat,  at  St.  Mary's  Church  in  Boston, 
Mass.  Four  children  were  born  to  him,  — 
James  Bernard,  born  Aug.  18,  1857;  Mary, 
born  March  13,1859;  Anastasia,  born  Jan. 
13,  1 861 ;  and  Richard  James,  born  March 
17,  1863.  Bernard  Cullen  led  a  mercantile 
life  for  many  years  in  Boston,  and  chiefly 
engaged  in  the  fire-insurance  business,  until 
1866,  when  he  accepted  the  position  of 
superintendent  of  the  Home  for  Destitute 
Catholic  Children,  and  his  labors  for  that 
institution  extended  over  a  period  of  twelve 
years.  He  represented  old  Ward  3  in  the 
Common  Council  in  1862-63,  an<i  was  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  in 
1865.  He  was  well  known  to  the  citizens  of 
Boston,  and  his  natural  solicitude  for  the 
relief  of  the    poor,   coupled  with  practical 


charity,  were  among  his  chief  characteristics. 
He  was  the  first  superintendent  of  old  St. 
Mary's  Sunday  School,  on  Endicott  street, 
the  Rev.  Bernardine  Wiget,  S.J.,  rector,  and 
a  member  of  the  old  Columbian  Guards, 
the  Charitable  Irish  Society,  and  the  Knights 
of  St.  Patrick.  His  work  in  Boston  which 
was  of  any  consequence  to  the  community 
consisted  of  his  life-long,  untiring,  and  suc- 
cessful efforts  in  relieving  distress  among 
the  needy  poor  and  unfortunate  people  of  the 
city.  He  was  a  conspicuous  figure  at  the 
courts,  and  did  much  of  the  voluntary  work 
of  probating  prisoners,  lately  done  by 
"  Uncle  "  Cook  and  Probation  Officer  Savage. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  St. 
Vincent  de  Paul  during  his  life. 

Cunniff,  Michael  M.,  banker  and  broker, 
born  in  the  County  Roscommon,  Ireland, 
1850,  arrived  in  Boston  during  the  same  year. 
He  studied  in  the  Boston  public  schools 
and  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Commercial  School. 
He  served  an  apprenticeship  under  Messrs. 
Stephen  M.  Smith  &  Co.,  cabinet  makers, 
until  he  attained  his  majority.  Subsequently 
he  engaged  in  the  liquor  business,  was  suc- 
cessful, and  withdrew  from  it.  In  1875  he 
commenced  to  actively  participate  in  local 
politics.  From  that  time  he  has  been  recog- 
nized as  a  political  leader,  particularly 
shrewd,  diplomatic,  determined,  and  un- 
tiring in  his  efforts  to  achieve  success  for 
the  Democratic  party,  especially  in  Boston. 
He  has  been  a  successful  man  in  business 
matters,  controls  a  large  number  of  shares 
of  the  Bay  State  Gas  Company's  securities, 
of  which  he  has  been  a  heavy  buyer  and 
seller,  and  he  is  a  director  for  the  company. 
Mr.  Cunniff  is  directly  interested  in,  and 
identified  with,  ma*ny  important  enterprises 
in  Boston,  in  which  his  personal  work  has 
produced  profitable  results.  His  investments 
cover  the  East  Boston  Land  Company,  the 
Charles  River  Embankment  Company,  the 
West  End  Railway  Company,  etc.  He  is 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Boston  Gas 
Syndicate.  Politically,  his  judgment  is  con- 
sidered to  be  extra  good  by  older  and  more 


MICHAEL    M.    CUNNIFF. 


BIO  GRAPHICAL    SKE  TCHE  S. 


351 


experienced  political  leaders,  who  have  made 
him  their  counsellor  on  many  occasions. 
He  is  a  skilful  organizer,  and  commands 
a  large  following  in  the  ranks  of  the  Demo- 
crats. He  served  on  Governor  Ames's 
Council,  this  being  the  only  time  that 
he  ever  held  a  public  office.  For  many 
years  he  has  held  high  and  honorable 
positions  in  the  councils  of  the  Democratic 
party.  In  1876  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Democratic  State  Central  Committee,  re- 
elected every  year  since,  and  he  has  rendered 
valuable  services  in  perfecting  its  organization. 
In  the  years  1887-88  he  was  chairman  of  the 
executive  committee  of  the  State  committee, 
and  for  a  long  period  a  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic Ward  and  City  Committee,  of  which 
body  he  was  the  chairman  during  two  years, 
as  well  as  chairman  of  the  finance  committee. 
"While  president  of  the  Ward  and  City  Com- 
mittee, in  the  years  of  1882-83,  he  increased 
the  Democratic  registration  to  a  figure  un- 
precedented in  the  history  of  Boston.  At  the 
end  of  his  two  years'  service  he  declined 
the  presidency  of  this  committee,  though 
he  remained  an  active  member.  He  was 
an  uncompromising  Cleveland  man.  In 
1S84,  at  the  Democratic  National  Conven- 
tion, he  was  received  into  the  inner  councils 
of  the  late  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Daniel 
Manning,  and  Secretary  of  War,  William 
C.  Whitney.  During  the  recent  National 
Convention  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Mr.  Cunniff 
actively  urged  the  renomination  of  Grover 
Cleveland. 

He  and  his  associates,  Messrs.  W.  E. 
L.  and  C.  O.  L.  Dilloway,  reorganized  and 
changed  the  location  of  the  Mechanics' 
National  Bank,  of  which  he  is  a  director, 
from  South  Boston  to  its  present  central  posi- 
tion, on  the  corner  of  Washington  and 
Franklin  streets.  The  amount  of  deposits  in 
the  bank  at  the  time  when  they  assumed  the 
management  had  reached  the  sum  of 
$350,000.  This  comparatively  small  business 
was  increased  by  Mr.  Cunniff  and  his  co- 
workers to  the  large  sum  of  deposits  amount- 
ing to  $1,000,000.  The  bank  is  in  a  fairway 
to  become  one  of  the  leading  national  bank- 


ing institutions  of  the  country.  He  has 
made  it  one  of  the  depositories  for  the 
State's  moneys. 

Mr.  Cunniff  has  favored  the  Kindergarten 
system  of  education ;  he  is  a  generous  bene- 
factor of  the  charities  of  Boston. 

Dacy,  Timothy  J.1 

Davis,  Herbert  C,  real  estate,  born  in 
Boston  in  1854.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Dearborn  and  the  Roxbury  High  Schools; 
served  in  the  Common  Council  of  1876,  from 
which  year  to  1884  he  held  the  position  of 
general  agent  of  New  England  for  S.  Davis 
&  Co.,  Cincinnati,  O.  He  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Young  Men's  Catholic  Asso- 
ciation, also  Grand  Ruler  of  Royal  Order  of 
Good  Fellows,  Trimountain  Lodge,  and  dur- 
ing Ex-Mayor  O'Brien's  administration  was  a 
member  of  the  official  staff. 

Dee,  John  H.,  florist,  born  at  Charles- 
town,  Mass.,  May  13,  1842,  graduated  from 
the  Harvard  Grammar  School  1857,  and 
studied  three  years  at  the  Charlestown  High 
School.  He  acquired  a  practical  naval 
knowledge  at  the  Charlestown  Navy  Yard, 
entered  the  service  of  the  U.  S.  Navy,  in 
1863,  as  engineer  on  the  "Genesee,"  and 
afterwards  on  the  "  Manhattan,"  both  men- 
of-war,  and  he  came  out  of  service  in  1865. 
He  served  on  the  Democratic  Ward  and 
City  Committee  from  1875  until  1880,  and 
again  resumed  his  membership  in  1888.  He 
served  in  the  Common  Council  of  1877,  and 
the  House  of  Representatives  in  1879  and 
1880.  He  is  a  member  of  Edw.  W.  Kinsley 
Post  113,  G.A.R.  He  is  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  and  his  worth  has  been  recog- 
nized practically  by  that  organization,  for  it 
has  elected  him  to  every  available  position  of 
honor  and  trust  to  which  members  are  eligi- 
ble. He  is  a  member  of  the  Temple  Council 
of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  also  the  Wapiti 
Tribe,  No.  65,  of  the  Improved  Order  of 
Red  Men. 

1  See  lawyers. 


352 


THE   IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


Denny,  Thomas  J.,  instructor  of  Athletics, 
born  in  Ireland  in  1 850;  died  in  Boston, 
March  30,  1887.  He  came  to  this  country 
with  his  parents  when  very  young,  and  at- 
tended the  Quincy  Grammar  School  of  this 
city.  He  afterwards  served  an  apprenticeship 
at  cabinet-making,  but  early  in  life  began  to 
develop  as  an  athlete.  About  1863  he  opened 
a  school  of  instruction  in  sparring  on  Boylston 
street,  and  did  a  successful  business  for  a  few 
years,  and  acquired  a  local  reputation  as  a 
professor  of  the  art  of  self-defence.  He 
represented  Ward  12  in  the  Common  Council 
of  1878,  '79,  '80,  '81,  '82,  '83,  '84,  '85,  '86.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Democratic 
Convention  at  Chicago  in  1884. 

Desmond,  Cornelius,  painter,  born  in 
Boston,  May  II,  1838.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  this  city,  and  resides 
at  the  North  End.  He  represented  Ward  6 
in  the  Legislature  of  1877,  '78,  '79,  serving 
as  monitor,  and  also  on  the  Committee  on 
Library. 

Desmond,  Cornelius  F.,  paymaster,  born 
in  Boston,  Oct.  31,  1862.  He  attended  the 
Quincy  School,  and  at  thirteen  years  of  age 
entered  the  office  of  the  Metropolitan  Rail- 
road as  messenger.  In  1878  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  position  of  assistant  paymaster, 
and  later  was  appointed  paymaster  of  the 
West  End  Street  Railway.  For  ten  years 
past  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Young 
Men's  Catholic  Total  Abstinence  Society  of 
St.  James'  Church,  and  represented  Ward  12 
in  the  Common  Council  of  1887,  '88,  '89. 

Desmond,  Jeremiah,  brass-worker,  born 
in  Boston,  May,  1853.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Boston,  and  commenced 
to  learn  his  trade  when  eleven  years  of  age 
as  a  brass-worker.  From  1885  to  1887,  inclu- 
sive, he  represented  Ward  16  in  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  served  on  the  Committees  on 
Printing,  Manufacturing,  and  Street  Rail- 
ways. 

Dever,  John  F.,  salesman,  born  in  Bos- 


ton, May  23,  1853.  He  attended  the  May- 
hew  School  until  he  was  thirteen  years  of 
age.  He  first  became  employed  as  office 
boy  for  the  Newton  Oil  Company,  and  later 
with  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad.  In 
1868  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  New 
England  News  Company,  where  he  remained 
till  1879.  He  was  afterwards  connected  with 
the  Boston  "  Courier "  for  a  short  period. 
He  represented  Ward  20  in  the  Legislature 
of  1880-81.  In  the  fall  of  1879  he  was  ap- 
pointed clerk  and  assistant  registrar  of  voters 
which  position  he  held  from  October,  1879, 
to  June,  1885.  He  was  employed  in  the 
Mayor's  office  as  clerk  under  the  administra- 
tion of  Hon.  Hugh  O'Brien.  In  July,  1885, 
he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  streets, 
but  was  not  confirmed  by  the  Board  of 
Aldermen,  for  political  reasons.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Montgomery  Light  Guard 
Veteran  Association.  He  was  one  of  the 
secretaries  of  the  Democratic  City  Central 
Committee  in  1879,  '80,  '81 ;  secretary  of  the 
Charitable  Irish  Society,  1881,  '82,  '83;  he  has 
been  identified  with  Father  Roche's  Home ; 
is  a  member  of  the  Clover  Club;  he  has  been 
director  and  financial  secretary  of  Young 
Men's  Catholic  Association  of  Boston  Col- 
lege for  six  years;  and  chairman  of  the 
Democratic  Committee  of  Ward  20  for  sev- 
eral years. 

Devlin,  Thomas  H.,  newspaper  and  peri- 
odical dealer,  born  in  Boston,  1848,  and 
graduated  from  the  Brimmer  School.  He 
engaged  in  the  periodical  business  with  his 
father  at  the  news  depot  of  the  Boston  & 
Providence  Railroad  station  in  Boston,  and 
succeeded  to  the  business  in  1866.  He  served 
in  the  Common  Council  in  1878,  '79,  '80,  '81, 
'82,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Aldermen  in  1883.  He  was  for  three  years 
on  the  City  Council  Committees  on  Claims, 
Common  and  Public  Grounds;  one  year 
on  the  Committee  on  Water;  two  years 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  for 
Public  Institutions;  and  was  also  on  the 
Joint  Special  Committee  on  Commissions  in 
1881. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


353 


Devney,  Patrick  F.,  public  cabs,  born 
in  Galway,  Ireland,  Feb.  I,  1850.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Boston. 
He  is  now  engaged  in  this  city  in  the  public- 
cab  business.  In  1884  he  represented  Ward 
19  in  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Represent- 
atives. 

Dillon,  Frank  H.,  born  in  Charlestown, 
Mass.,  Sept.  22,  1861.  He  graduated  at  the 
Winthrop  School  in  1875;  worked  as  painter 
for  F.  M.  Holmes  Furniture  Company,  and  as 
superintendent  for  Eagle  Metallic  Brush  Com- 
pany. Later  he  established  a  saloon  business. 
He  was  trustee  of  the  Young  Men's  Catholic 
Lyceum  of  Charlestown,  vice-president 
Quarterly  Club,  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Moulton  Associates,  a  member  of  Royal 
Order  of  Good  Fellows;  elected  to  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  1887,  '88,  '89,  and  served  on 
Committees  on  Fire  Department,  City  En- 
gineers, and  Fourth  of  July.  In  1881  was 
sergeant  of  Company  D,  Ninth  Regiment. 

Doherty,  Cornelius  F.,  service  clerk, 
born  in  Boston,  Jan.  15, 1852.  He  attended 
the  Lyman  School  and  St.  Mary's  Institute. 
He  went  to  sea  for  three  years,  and  upon 
his  return  served  at  the  coppersmith  trade, 
working  at  the  business  about  eight  years. 
In  1887  he  engaged  in  the  cigar  and  tobacco 
business  in  East  Boston  and  also  at  Natick. 
He  represented  Ward  2  in  the  Common 
Council  of  1879,  '80,  '81,  and  during  six 
months  of  1883,  when  he  resigned  on  July 
I  to  accept  his  present  position  as  service 
clerk  in  the  Water  Department  of  the  city 
of  Boston.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Royal 
Order  of  Good  Fellows,  Fitton  Literary  Insti- 
tute, Young  Men's  Catholic  Lyceum  of  East 
Boston,  Columbian  Rowing  Association,  and 
secretary  of  the  Fourth  District  Congres- 
sional Club. 

Doherty,  Daniel,  born  in  Ballyliffm, 
County  Donegal,  Ireland,  in  1838.  He  was 
educated  in  the  Irish  national  schools  of  his 
native  place,  and  came  to  this  country  on 
June   15,  1863.     He  settled  in  Boston,  and 


became  employed  by  the  Boston  Gas-Light 
Company,  with  whom  he  remained  almost 
twelve  years.  He  engaged  in  the  saloon 
business  in  1874,  and  in  1876  formed  a 
partnership  with  his  brother,  John  Doherty, 
under  the  present  firm  name  of  D.  &  J. 
Doherty.  He  represented  Ward  7  in  the 
Common  Council  of  1876  and  the  Legisla- 
ture of  1877-78.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Democratic  Ward  and  City  Committee 
for  three  years,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Irish 
Charitable  Society. 

Doherty,  James  D.  Elected  to  the  Com- 
mon Council  for  the  year  1889. 

Doherty,  James  J.,  restaurateur,  born  in 
County  Donegal,  Ireland,  Aug.  15,  1848. 
When  five  years  of  age  his  parents  immigrated 
to  this  country,  and  settled  in  Boston,  where 
he  received  his  education  at  the  public 
schools.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  enlisted 
in  an  unattached  company  of  volunteer 
militia  on  duty  in  Boston  Harbor.  In  1877, 
'78,  '79  he  was  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council,  and  in  the  latter  year  he  was  one 
of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  East  Boston 
Ferries.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Democratic  Ward  and  City  Committee  for 
several  years,  and  in  1 880  represented  Ward 
2  in  the  General  Court. 

Doherty,  John,  born  in  Ballyliffin,  County 
Donegal,  Ireland,  about  1846.  He  was 
educated  in  the  Irish  National  schools,  and 
came  to  this  country  in  1865.  Shortly  after 
his  arrival  in  Boston  he  was  employed 
in  the  freight  department  of  the  Boston  & 
Maine  Railroad,  and  later  went  to  San 
Francisco,  Cal.,  for  five  years.  Upon  his 
return  to  this  city  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Boston  Gas-Light  Company,  where  he 
remained  about  four  years.  In  1876  he  en- 
gaged in  the  saloon  business  with  his  brother, 
Daniel  Doherty,  under  the  present  firm  name 
of  D.  &  J.  Doherty.  He  represented  Ward 
7  in  the  Common  Council  of  1884-85  and 
in  the  Legislature  of  1887-88.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society. 


354 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


Doherty,  Joseph,  grocer,  born  in  Glack, 
County  Donegal,  Ireland,  Aug.  14,  1844. 
He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Carn- 
donah,  Ireland.  He  came  to  this  country  on 
April  14, 1863,  and  settled  in  Boston,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  was  for  several  years 
employed  by  Michael  Doherty  in  the  liquor 
business,  and  in  1874  engaged  in  the 
-grocery  and  liquor  business  for  himself.  In 
1876  he  represented  Ward  7  in  the  Common 
Council. 

Doherty,  Neil,  grocer,  born  in  County 
Donegal,  Ireland,  March  14,  1837.  He  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education,  and  has 
been  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in 
East  Boston  for  some  years  past.  He  repre- 
sented Ward  2  in  the  Common  Council  of 
1872-73,  and  in  1875-76  was  a  member  of 
the  Legislature. 

Doherty,  Neil  F.,  elected  to  the  Com- 
mon Council  for  the  year  1889. 

Doherty,  Philip  J.1 

Doherty,  Thomas  F.,  water  commissioner, 
born  at  the  North  End,  Boston,  in  1843. 
His  parents  removed  to  the  Fort  Hill  dis- 
trict when  he  was  two  years  of  age,  and  his 
education  was  received  at  the  Boylston  School. 
He  entered  the  dry-goods  business  with 
Kilby  Brothers  when  twelve  years  old.  He 
was  later  engaged  for  fourteen  years  in  the 
dry-goods  house  of  Chandler  &  Co.,  a  part 
of  the  time  in  the  capacity  of  manager  of 
one  of  the  departments.  He  severed  his 
connection  with  the  latter  firm  to  become 
a  member  of  the  concern  of  T.  F.  Doherty 
&  Co.,  and  continued  in  business  until  1885, 
when  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Water.  Commissioners  of  the  city 
of  Boston.  He  has  held  many  offices  of  trust, 
among  these  the  presidency  of  the  following 
organizations :  Democratic  Ward  and  City 
Committee,  East  Boston  Citizens'  Trade  Asso- 
ciation, St.  Vincent  de  Paul's  Society  of  East 

1  See  Lawyers. 


Boston;  and  a  directorship  in  both  Father 
Roche's  Working  Boys'  Home  and  the  Home 
for  Destitute  Catholic  Children.  He  has  been 
active  in  Democratic  politics  for  a  number  of 
years  past,  and  is  one  of  the  prominent  citi- 
zens of  East  Boston,  where  he  has  resided 
for  many  years.  He  is  the  colonel  of  the 
Montgomery  Veteran  Association. 

Dolan,  Charles  H.,  produce  dealer,  born 
in  Boston,  March  23,  1859.  He  graduated 
at  the  Dearborn  Grammar  School  in  1875, 
and  was  employed  as  clerk  in  a  leather 
store  until  1879.  He  subsequently  entered 
the  produce  business,  where  he  is  now  engaged 
on  his  own  account.  He  served  in  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  1 887,  '88,  '89  from  Ward  20, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Committees  on 
East  Boston  Ferries,  Assessors,  Centennial 
Celebration,  Appropriations,  Claims,  and 
Fourth  of  July;  and  has  been  secretary  of 
Boston  Catholic  Cemetery  Association  for 
eight  years  past. 

Dolan,  Michael  J.,  boat-builder,  born  in 
Ireland,  May  2,  1850.  He  was  educated  in 
the  Boston  public  schools,  and  is  at  present 
engaged  as  a  boat-builder  at  East  Boston. 
He  represented  Ward  2  in  the  Legislature  of 
1883-84,  serving  on  the  Committee  on  Har- 
bor and  Public  Lands. 

Donahoe,  Charles  W. ,  salesman,  born  in 
Boston,  July  7,  1856.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  this  city,  and  is  at  pres- 
ent employed  as  a  salesman.  He  represented 
Ward  15  in  the  Common  Council  of  1882 
and  in  the  Legislature  of  1883. 

Donohoe,  Michael  Thomas,  clerk  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  for  Public  Institutions, 
born  in  Lowell,  Mass.,  Nov.  22,  1838.  He 
was  the  second  son  of  Owen  M.  Donohoe, 
a  native  of  the  County  Cavan,  Ireland,  who 
immigrated  to  this  country  and  settled  in 
Lowell,  Mass.,  in  1831,  where  he  married 
Mary  Cassidy.  Young  Michael  went  to  the 
public  schools  at  Lowell,  and  subsequently 
Holy   Cross   College,    Worcester.      He  was 


m^^SMm 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


355 


engaged  in  business  at  Manchester,  N.H., 
when  the  secession  ordinances  were  passed 
in  the  Southern  States,  and  he  recruited 
a  company  for  the  Third  Regiment. 

He  went  to  the  war  with  the  Third  N.H. 
Regiment  as  captain  of  Company  C,  and  was 
attached  to  it  at  Hilton  Head  and  other  points 
in  the  Palmetto  State,  — old  South  Carolina. 
While  he  was  connected  with  the  Third,  his 
superiors  always  found  in  him  a  most  reliable 
officer  for  any  emergency.  He  received  from 
his  colonel  (Jackson)  conspicuous  mention 
for  his  conduct  in  the  battle  of  Secessionvflle, 
not  far  from  Charleston,  in  which,  out  of 
about  six  hundred  engaged,  the  Third  lost 
one  hundred  and  four  in  killed  and  wounded. 
Whether  it  was  for  days  or  weeks  to  be  away 
in  command  on  detached  service,  or  to  go 
forward  directing  the  advance  line  of  skir- 
mishers, or  lead  his  company  in  battle  charge, 
Captain  Donohoe  knew  his  duty,  and  per- 
formed it  with  tact,  skill,  and  courage.  This 
pointed  him  out  as  the  most  fitting  com- 
mander for  the  then  contemplated  Irish- 
American  Regiment  of  the  Granite  State. 

The  Tenth  N.H.  Regiment,  which  was 
composed  chiefly  of  Irish-Americans,  with 
Colonel  Donohoe  in  command,  left  camp  at 
Manchester,  N.H.,  on  the  twenty-second  day 
of  September,  1862,  and  arrived  at  Wash- 
ington three  days  later. 

From  Sept.  30,  1862,  until  the  Tenth  was 
mustered  out  at  Manchester,  June  21,  1865, 
Colonel  Donohoe  rendered  heroic  services  to 
the  Union.  At  the  Capture  of  Fort  Harri- 
son his  horse  was  shot  under  him  when  in 
command  of  a  skirmish  line  while  the  Army 
of  the  James  was  again  moving  forward  to 
the  attack,  and  later  the  colonel  was  severely 
wounded. 

General  Donohoe  was  brevetted  brigadier- 
general,  and  commanded  a  brigade  of 
Devens's  division,  which  was  the  first  to  enter 
the  city  of  Richmond  on  April  3,  1865,  and 
when  the  term  of  service  expired  he  re- 
turned in  command  of  three  New  Hamp- 
shire regiments. 

The  State  historian  says :  "  The  regiment 
was   largely   composed   of  foreigners,    who 


leave  a  record  highly  creditable  for  patriot- 
ism, bravery,  and  good  conduct ;  those  who 
survive  are  entitled  to  the  gratitude  of  the 
State  and  nation ;  and  its  dead  upon  many 
hard- fought  fields,  in  rebel  prisons  and  hos- 
pitals, are  entitled  to  an  honorable  record  in 
the  history  of  the  great  Rebellion." 

General  Donohoe  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
E.,  second  daughter  of  John  and  Isabella  Mc- 
Anulty,  who  were  of  the  earliest  Irish  people 
that  made  Lowell  their  home.  Eight  children 
have  blessed  this  marriage,  of  whom  five  are 
living.  For  several  years  General  Donohoe 
had  resided  in  our  adjoining  city  of  Somer- 
ville,  but  has  since  made  his  home  in  Boston. 
On  his  return  from  the  war  he  received  an 
important  appointment  under  the  corpora- 
tion of  the  Concord,  Boston,  &  Lowell  Rail- 
road, which  he  retained  until  1879.  He 
then  became  connected  with  the  Lake  Shore 
Railroad  route,  taking  charge  of  its  passenger 
department  at  Boston;  and  later  was  the 
New  England  passenger  agent  of  the  Cleve- 
land, Columbus,  &  Indianapolis  Railway 
Company,  or  "  Bee  Line." 

The  general  received  the  nomination  for 
Secretary  of  State  at  the  Massachusetts  Dem- 
ocratic conventions  in  1879  and  '80.  In  the 
National  House  of  Representatives,  five  or 
six  years  ago,  his  name  was  reported  for  the 
very  honorable  position  of  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Managers  of  the  National  Soldiers' 
Home,  but  he  felt  obliged  to  decline  the 
honor  on  account  of  his  railroad  business. 

In  1887  he  was  appointed  to  his  present 
position. 

Donnelly,  Robert,  health  inspector,  born 
in  Cambridge,  April  10,  1853.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  place  until 
he  was  twelve  years  of  age.  He  represented 
Ward  7  in  the  Common  Council  of  1883-84; 
is  a  member  of  the  American  Legion  of 
Honor,  and  at  present  employed  as  a  health 
inspector  by  the  city  of  Boston. 

Donovan,  Edward  J.,  State  Senator 
(Third  Suffolk),  was  born  in  Boston,  March 


356 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


15, 1864.  He  was  educated  in  Boston's  public 
schools,  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  Phillips 
Grammar  School,  West  End.  In  school, 
young  Donovan  displayed  marked  ability  in 
declamation,  and  in  later  years  has  won  a 
high  reputation  as  an  eloquent  and  effective 
public  speaker.  When  quite  young  he  lost 
his  estimable  father  (Lawrence),  who,  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  was  among 
the  prominent  merchants  of  Boston,  being  a 
leading  tobacconist.  For  some  years  Ed- 
ward has  been  one  of  the  most  efficient  and 
trusted  accountants  in  the  employ  of  Brown, 
Durrell,  &  Co.,  one  of  the  largest  jobbing 
houses  in  the  United  States.  When  hardly 
twenty-one  years  of  age  young  Donovan 
took  an  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  at- 
tracted attention  by  his  activity,  especially 
in  Ward  8.  He  was  elected  a  representa- 
tive to  the  General  Court  for  the  years  1887— 
88,  and  Senator  from  the  Third  Suffolk  Dis- 
trict for  the  year  1889.  In  1887  he  was  the 
youngest  member  of  the  House,  and  is  the 
youngest  man  ever  elected  to  the  Massachu- 
setts Senate.  During  his  legislative  service 
he  has  served  on  the  Committees  on  Street 
Railways,  Military  Affairs,  Water  Supply,  and 
Special  Committee  on  Soldiers'  Records,  and 
has  demonstrated  his  high  talent  and  ability 
to  perform  yeoman  service  for  the  people 
and  the  Democratic  party,  as  a  champion  of 
every  cause  needing  a  helping  hand.  Dur- 
ing his  three  years  in  the  Legislature  he  has 
won  the  distinction  of  being  one  of  the 
most  eloquent  and  forcible  debaters.  Mr. 
Donovan  is  of  an  even  temperament,  and 
more  than  ordinarily  well  balanced  mentally. 
He  is  a  member  of  numerous  societies,  at 
the  present  time  (1889)  being  president  of 
the  Hendricks  Club  of  Boston,  one  of  the 
most  influential  Democratic  organizations  in 
Massachusetts. 

Donovan,  James,  grocer,  born  in  Boston, 
May  28,  1859.  He  has  been  engaged  in  the 
grocery  and  provision  business  since  he  left 
school.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council  in  1882,  and  was  five  years  in  the 
Legislature  from  Ward  16,  and  served  on  the 


Committees  of  Mercantile  Affairs,  Prisons, 
Redistricting,  and  Railroads.  He  repre- 
sents the  Fourth  Suffolk  District  in  the 
Senate  the  present  year. 

Donovan,  Patrick  J.,  contractor  and 
builder,  was  born  in  Charlestown,  April  9, 
1848.  He  was  educated  in  the  Grammar 
and  Charlestown  High  Schools,  and  was  first 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  provision  store. 
He  is  now  a  contractor  and  builder.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Charlestown  Fire  Depart- 
ment during  eight  years,  one  of  the  Board  of 
Engineers  before  the  annexation;  served  in 
the  Common  Council  of  1882,  '83,  '84,  and 
represented  Charlestown  in  the  Board  of 
Aldermen  of  1885,  '86,  '87;  he  was  Chairman 
of  the  Board  in  1887.  He  was  invariably 
punctual  in  attendance  at  the  meetings 
of  the  two  branches  of  the  city  government. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Charlestown  Veteran 
Firemen's  Association.  During  nine  years 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Democratic  City 
Committee,  for  seven  years  a  member  of  the 
State  Committee,  six  years  of  which  he  was 
its  assistant  secretary,  and  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Charlestown  Bachelors'  Club,  and 
a  past  sachem  of  the  same.  He  represented 
the  Sixth  Congressional  District  as  a  delegate 
at  the  Democratic  National  Convention  at 
Chicago,  and  for  some  time  has  stood  high 
in  the  councils  of  the  Democratic  party. 

Doogue,  William,  Superintendent  of 
Common  and  Public  Grounds,  born  in 
Brocklaw  Park,  town  of  Stradbally,  Queen's 
County,  Ireland,  May  24,  1828.  He  came 
to  this  country  with  his  parents,  four  brothers, 
and  four  sisters  in  1 840.  The  family  settled 
in  Middletown,  Conn.,  the  same  year. 
Young  William  went  to  the  public  schools  in 
that  town,  and  graduated  from  the  high 
school,  1843. 

He  was  apprenticed  to  George  Affleck  & 
Co.,  Hartford,  Conn.,  for  five  years,  during 
which  time  he  learned  the  science  of  flori- 
culture, horticulture,  and  landscape  garden- 
ing at  their  celebrated  nurseries.  At  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  apprenticeship,  Mr. 


WILLIAM    DOOGUE, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


357 


Doogue  was  admitted  into  the  firm  as  a  full 
partner  under  a  five  years'  contract.  He 
studied  botany  for  three  years  under  Profes- 
sor Comstock,  of  Trinity  College,  Hartford, 
Conn.,  and  came  to  Boston,  1856.  After 
his  arrival  here  he  assumed  the  entire  man- 
agement of  the  floricultural  and  horticultural 
business  of  the  late  Charles  Copeland  at 
Boston  and  Melrose.  The  well-known  and 
highly  successful  greenhouses  in  "Floral 
Place "  were  established  by  Mr.  Doogue 
nearly  twenty-five  years  ago,  and  from  that 
establishment  floricultural  decoration  re- 
ceived its  first  impetus  in  Boston.  In 
1871,  the  centennial  year,  Mr.  Doogue 
laid  out  grounds  and  made  a  tropical  and 
sub- tropical  display  on  the  centennial 
grounds  at  Fairmount  Park,  Philadelphia, 
Penn.  His  skill  was  practically  recognized 
and  he  was  presented  with  two  gold  and 
two  silver  medals  and  diplomas.  He  has 
been  the  Superintendent  of  the  Common  and 
Public  Grounds  since  1878,  and  the  people 
and  press  of  Boston  have  approved  and 
extolled  his  work.  During  the  year  1887, 
the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society  en- 
deavored to  influence  the  city  government 
to  allow  that  body  to  erect  a  building  on  the 
Public  Garden,  "to  be  devoted  to  the  study 
and  advancement  of  floriculture."  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Minot,  Jr.,  actively  interested  himself 
on  behalf  of  the  society's  plan,  but  the  able 
and  vigorous  protest  against  the  innovation 
which  was  made  by  Mr.  Doogue  aroused  the 
sentiment  of  the  press  and  the  public,  and 
frustrated  the  designs  of  the  Massachusetts 
Society.  From  the  first  year  of  Mr.  Doogue's 
superintendence,  down  to  the  present  time, 
the  flower  exhibits  upon  the  Public  Garden 
and  in  other  portions  of  the  city  have  sur- 
passed the  most  beautiful  in  the  country. 
The  flowers  and  plants  under  his  manage- 
ment have  been  artistically  arranged  in 
beautiful  and  varied  designs,  and  have  fre- 
quently won  for  him  extended  praise. 

Driscoll,  John  D.,  house  and  sign 
painter,  born  in  Cork,  Ireland,  Dec.  3,  1832. 
He  immigrated   to  this  country  when  very 


young,  and  attended  the  Boston  public 
schools.  From  1861  to  1863  he  served  in  the 
war  as  a  member  of  the  Ninth  Massachusetts 
Regiment,  and  was  honorably  discharged 
after  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  on  account 
of  a  disability.  He  reenlisted  in  the  Second 
Massachusetts  Cavalry  in  1864,  but  was  re- 
jected, however,  because  of  his  former  disa- 
bility. He  was  a  member  of  the  Old  Fenian 
Brotherhood,  also  of  the  F.  B.  Council,  of 
the  G.A.R.  Post  7  since  1869,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Irish  Legion  of  St.  Patrick. 
He  was  employed  as  messenger  at  City  Hall 
during  Mayor  O'Brien's  administration. 

Drynan,  John,  shipping-agent,  born  in 
Cork,  Ireland,  in  1832.  He  came  to  this 
country  in  1833  with  his  parents  when  only 
one  yeai  old.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Boylston  and  Eliot  Schools  of  this  city. 
He  is  by  occupation  a  shipping-agent,  but 
for  some  time  past  has  not  been  engaged  in 
business.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture of  1870-71,  and  of  the  Common  Council 
from  Ward  6  in  1877-78.  He  was  con- 
nected  with  the  old  Columbians   in   1858- 

59- 

Duggan,  Thomas  H.,  plumber,  born  in 
County  of  Kilkenny,  Ireland,  March  II, 
1848.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  place,  and  came  to  this  country, 
and  settled  in  Boston  about  1863.  He  went 
to  work  at  his  trade  soon  after  his  arrival 
here.  He  was  employed  by  S.  B.  Allen  for 
eight  years,  and  subsequently  as  a  journey- 
man for  Lockwood  F.  Lamb  and  others.  In 
1873  he  engaged  in  business  for  himself,  and 
at  present  employs  about  forty  workmen. 
He  opened  at  one  time  a  branch  office  for 
the  extension  of  his  business  in  New  York 
City,  which  was  managed  successfully  for 
about  four  years,  but  recently  the  business 
there  has  been  discontinued.  Mr.  Duggan 
served  in  the  Common  Council  of  1886,  '87, 
'88. 

Dunlea,  James  J.,  gate-tender,  born  in 
Roxbury,  June  22,  1857.     He  was  educated 


358 


THE    IRISH   IN  BOSTON. 


in  the  public  schools,  and  is  employed  as  a 
gate-tender  on  the  Providence  Division  of 
the  Old  Colony  Railroad.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  represented  Ward  22  in  the  Legis- 
lature during  1887.  While  there  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Committee  on  Labor. 

Dwyer,  Patrick  D.,  insurance  agent, 
born  in  Galway,  Ireland,  in  1857.  He  came 
to  this  country  with  his  parents  when  nine 
years  of  age.  He  attended  the  old  Mayhew 
School  in  Boston,  where  he  received  his 
early  education.  For  eleven  years  after 
leaving  school  he  was  employed  by  Hogg, 
Brown,  &  Taylor,  dry-goods  merchants.  In 
1883  he  was  appointed  chief  inspector  under 
the  Boston  Water  Board,  which  position  he 
resigned  shortly  afterward.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature  for  1884,  1885,  and 
1886,  serving  on  the  Committees  on  Claims 
and  Railroads.  He  was  elected  to  Senate 
of  1887  and  1888,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Committees  on  Claims,  Insurance,  and  Li- 
brary. He  was  the  vice-president  of  the 
Democratic  Ward  and  City  Committee  during 
the  years  1 887,  '88,  '89.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Union  and  Charitable  Irish  Society. 
Mr.  Dwyer  is  now  the  only  candidate  for 
election  to  the  presidency  of  the  Democratic 
Ward  and  City  Committee,  a  political  dis- 
tinction much  prized  by  Boston  Democrats. 
As  a  Democrat  he  is  a  faithful  adherent  to 
the  principles  laid  down  by  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son and  Andrew  Jackson.  In  every  local 
political  campaign  in  Boston  during  the  last 
six  years  his  efforts  have  been  directed  towards 
increasing  the  numerical  strength  of  the 
Democratic  vote,  and  he  has  done  effective 
service  as  an  organizer  and  a  public  speaker. 

Fallon,  James  O.,  gas  inspector,  born  in 
the  County  of  Sligo,  Ireland,  and  came  to 
America  in  1846,  and  settled  in  Lawrence, 
Mass.  He  graduated  from  the  Lawrence 
High  School  at  Lawrence,  Mass.,  and  in 
1858  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Boston.  He 
was  in  the  employ  of  Messrs.  C.  &  M. 
Doherty  for  a  while,  and  afterwards  entered 
into  the  liquor  business  for  himself,  which  he 


followed  until  1885,  when  he  was  appointed 
a  gas  inspector.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Democratic  Ward  and  City  Committee 
for  twenty  years,  and  the  chairman  of  the 
Ward  Committee  since  1880.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  in  1870—71,  and 
served  on  the  Committees  on  Leave  of  Ab- 
sence, Pay-roll,  and  the  Fisheries. 

Fallon,  Thomas  F.,  plumber,  born  in 
Providence,  R.I.,  Dec.  7,  1858,  and  came  to 
Boston  about  1859.  He  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools,  and  after  leaving  school  was  ap- 
prenticed to  Messrs.  Regan  &  Duggan.  In 
1884  he  went  into  the  plumbing  business  for 
himself.  During  the  years  1885,  '86,  '88  he 
served  in  the  Common  Council. 

Fanning,  Robert  C,  United  States 
laborer,  born  in  Boston,  Jan.  16,  1849.  He 
attended  the  public  schools,  and  afterward 
entered  the  junk  and  ship-chandlery  business 
with  his  father,  which  he  continued  till  1874. 
Later  he  was  engaged  in  weighing  gold  for 
the  Boston  &  Albany  Corporation.  In  1886 
he  was  appointed  United  States  laborer  in 
the  Weighers'  Department.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Common  Council,  1888-89.  He 
is  District  Judge  Advocate  of  District  Assem- 
bly No.  3  of  Massachusetts  Knights  of  Labor, 
and  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Appeals  for 
the  State  Assembly.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  Company  C,  Ninth  Regiment,  M.V.M. 

Farrell,  John  H.,  inspector,  born  in 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  Jan.  6,  1841.  He  gradu- 
ated at  the  public  schools  and  at  French's 
Commercial  Institute.  From  1858  to  1867 
he  was  engaged  as  book-keeper,  from  1867 
to  1877  in  the  grocery  business,  from  1878 
to  1880  as  a  clerk.  In  1880  he  was  ap- 
pointed an  inspector  of  milk  and  vinegar  at 
Cambridge,  which  position  he  held  until  1885. 
In  1886  he  accepted  his  present  position  as 
Custom-House  inspector. 

Farrell,  John  R.,  merchant  tailor,  born  in 
Sheffield,  England,  of  Irish  parents,  in  De- 
cember, 1832.  He  came  to  this  country  in 
childhood,   receiving    his   education  in  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


359 


public  schools  of  Lowell,  Mass.  During  the 
late  Rebellion  he  served  as  captain  of  a  com- 
pany of  the  Fifty-fifth  and  also  of  the  Forty- 
eighth  Massachusetts  Regiments.  He  was 
later  a  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Ninth  Massa- 
chusetts Regiment,  holding  the  office  from 
May  12,  1866,  to  April  22,  1S68.  He  rep* 
resented  Ward  12  in  the  Legislature  of  1884. 

Farren,  Patrick  H.,  salesman,  born  in 
County  Donegal,  Ireland,  in  1837.  He  immi- 
grated to  Boston  in  1842,  and  was  a  pupil  in 
the  Boston  public  schools  until  1852.  He 
was  later  apprenticed  to  John  W.  Mason  as 
ship-carver,  remaining  with  him  four  years, 
and  was  afterwards  employed  in  various 
capacities  till  1 85  7,  when  he  went  to  Rich- 
mond, Me.,  and  engaged  in  the  carving  busi- 
ness for  himself.  He  returned  to  Boston  in 
1 86 1,  and  engaged  in  the  provision  business 
until  1873.  He  then  accepted  a  position  as 
travelling  salesman  for  Chase  &  Sanborn,  of 
this  city,  the  position  he  still  holds.  He  rep- 
resented Ward  3  in  the  Common  Council  of 
1862  and  in  the  Legislature  of  1863.  He 
was  elected  a  Director  of  Public  Institutions 
in  1885.  He  was  a  member  of  the  old  Colum- 
bian Association,  and  has  been  connected 
with  the  principal  Irish  charitable  societies 
of  this  city  for  some  years  past. 

Farren,  Thomas  G.,  grocer,  born  in 
Boston,  March  20,  1858.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  and  graduated  at  the 
English  High  School.  He  is  at  present  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  at  the  North 
End.  In  1887-88  he  represented  Ward  7  in 
the  Legislature,  serving  on  the  Committees  of 
County  Estimates  and  Insurance;  and  for 
four  years  has  been  treasurer  of  the  Ward  7 
Democratic  Committee. 

Fay,  Thomas,  Jr.,  paymaster,  city  treas- 
urer's office,  City  Hall,  born  in  Roxbury, 
April  9,  1853.  He  received  his  early  educa- 
tional training  in  the  public  schools  of  this 
city.  He  represented  Ward  19  in  the  Legis- 
lature of  1881-82,  serving  on  the  Committee 
on  County  Estimates,  and  was  one  of  the 
monitors  during  his  first  term. 


Fee,  Thomas,  deputy  sheriff,  born  in 
Hingham,  Mass.,  Aug.  13,  1850.  He  at- 
tended the  Hingham  Grammar  School  and 
the  Boston  Evening  Schools.  He  served  an 
apprenticeship  of  three  years  at  the  machine 
trade  with  the  American  Tool  and  Machine 
Company.  He  was  afterward  employed  at  the 
Hinckley  Locomotive  Works.  He  left  his 
trade  later,  and  was  employed  as  a  salesman 
in  a  boot  and  shoe  store.  In  1875  ne  be- 
came  connected  with  the  sheriffs  office  of 
Suffolk  County.  He  was  appointed  consta- 
ble of  the  city  of  Boston  by  Mayor  Prince  in 
1877.  On  Jan.  1,  1884,  he  was  appointed 
deputy  sheriff  by  Sheriff  O'Brien.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society, 
Royal  Arcanum,  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  Royal  Society  of  Good  Fellows, 
Montgomery  Light  Guard  Veteran  Associa- 
tion, and  the  Democratic  City  Central  Com- 
mittee. 

Fennessey,  Jeremiah  G.,  crier  of  Supe- 
rior Court,  born  in  Glanworth,  County  Cork, 
Ireland,  April  4,  1857.  He  came  to  this 
country  July  31,  1868,  and  settled  in  Bos- 
ton. He  attended  the  Quincy  Grammar 
School  for  two  years.  In  1870  he  was 
employed  at  harness-making,  and  served 
eighteen  months.  He  afterwards  worked  in 
a  natural  history  store  for  six  years.  In 
1878  he  was  engaged  as  conductor  on  the 
Metropolitan  Railroad.  He  is  at  present 
holding  the  position  as  crier  of  the  Superior 
Court.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic City  Central  Committee  of  1 88 1,  '82, 
'83,  and  of  the  Legislature  of  1883,  and  the 
Democratic  State  Central  Committee  of  1884. 
He  is  a  prominent  Democrat  of  Boston,  and 
is  a  member  of  a  very  large  number  of 
social  and  fraternal  organizations.  He  is  a 
total  abstainer,  but  not  a  prohibitionist. 

Fitzgerald,  Desmond,  civil  engineer, 
born  in  Nassau,  N.P.,  May  20,  1846-  He 
immigrated  to  Providence,  R.I.,  in  1849,  and 
in  1870  removed  to  Boston.  He  attended 
the  Providence  High  School,  Phillips  Acade- 
my, and  studied  a  year  in  Paris.     He  held 


360 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


the  position  of  Deputy  Secretary  of  State  of 
Rhode  Island  for  about  a  year,  and  also  acted 
as  private  secretary  to  General  Burnside.  He 
subsequently  adopted  the  profession  of  a 
civil  engineer,  and  has  been  engaged  on  im- 
portant public  works  since  1867.  He  was 
appointed  superintendent  and  resident  en- 
gineer of  the  Boston  Water  Works  in  1873, 
his  present  position.  During  his  experience 
he  has  been  engaged  for  four  years  in  build- 
ing railroads  in  the  West,  and  for  two  years 
was  chief  engineer  of  the  Boston  &  Albany 
R.R.  He  is  president  of  the  Boston  Society 
of  Civil  Engineers,  a  member  of  the  American 
Society  of  Civil  Engineers,  treasurer  of  the 
Council  of  the  N.E.  Meteorological  Society, 
and  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Meteorological 
Society  of  England. 

Fitzgerald,  James  E.1 

Fitzgerald,  Thomas  F.,  American  Bank- 
Note  Company,  born  in  Ireland,  Dec.  20, 1848. 
He  received  a  common-school  education. 
He  was  engaged  with  the  American  Bank- 
Note  Company.  He  served  in  the  Legis- 
lature of  1873,  '74,  '75,  and  represented  the 
Sixth  Suffolk  District  in  the  Senate  of  1876- 
77.  He  was  returned  to  the  Legislature 
again  in  1879  from  Ward  13. 

Fitzpatrick,  John  B.,  deputy  sheriff  of 
Suffolk  County.  He  was  an  officer  of  the 
Supreme  Judicial  Court  for  many  years,  and 
has  been  identified  with  city,  State,  and  na- 
tional affairs.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Common  Council  in  1880,  '81,  '82,  '83,  and 
served  on  the  most  important  committees. 
As  a  debater  he  is  clear  and  forcible,  and  an 
excellent  organizer.  He  is  president  of  St. 
Joseph's  Conference  of  St.  Vincent  de 
Paul  Society;  a  member  of  St.  Joseph's 
Court  No.  11,  M.C.O.F.,  and  other  benevo- 
lent societies.     He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 

Flanigan,  William  H.,  accountant,  born 
in  Charlestown,  Nov.  7,  1851.  He  gradu- 
ated from  the  Lyman  School,  attended  the 


English  High  School  one  year,  took  a  course 
at  private  study  and  at  Comer's  Commercial 
College.  He  was  employed  four  years  as 
book-keeper  for  Gibbs  &  Stinson,  two  and 
one-half  years  in  counting-room  of  Jordan, 
Marsh,  &  Co.,  four  years  as  cashier  for  R.  H. 
Stearns  &  Co.,  six  years  as  assistant  clerk 
and  two  years  as  clerk  of  the  East  Boston 
Ferries,  and  appointed  accountant  in  the 
Mayor's  office  a  few  years  ago,  when  the 
new  city  charter  took  effect.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Montgomery  Veteran  Association, 
and  resides  in  East  Boston. 

Flatley,  Michael  J.,  hotel- keeper,  born 
in  Ireland,  where  he  received  a  part  of  his 
education.  He  came  to  America  when  a 
boy,  and  finished  his  schooling  here.  He 
has  been  the  proprietor  of  the  Jefferson 
House  in  Boston  for  several  years.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Common  Council  of  1873— 
74,  and  represented  the  Third  Suffolk  Dis- 
trict in  the  Senate  of  1875,  '76,  '77,  '78,  serving 
on  the  Committees  on  Labor,  Prisons,  and 
State  House.  While  in  the  upper  branch 
of  the  Legislature  he  was  an  indefatigable 
worker  for  prison  reform,  and  initiated  the 
legislation  which  finally  resulted  in  the  law 
forbidding  the  use  of  the  gag  in  penal  insti- 
tutions and  houses  of  correction.  He  was 
a  trustee  of  the  State  Primary  and  Reform 
School  in  188 1,  and  a  member  of  the  Gover- 
nor's Council  in  1882. 

Flatley,  Thomas.1 

Flynn,  Edward  J.1 

Flynn,  James  J.,  late  superintendent  of 
streets,  born  in  St.  John,  N.B.,  in  1834, 
died  in  Boston,  March  27,  1884.  When 
only  two  months  old  he  arrived  in  this  city 
with  his  parents  and  located  in  old  Fort  Hill. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and 
was  a  graduate  of  the  Boylston  Grammar 
School.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was 
elected  by  the  Democraiic  party  as  a  ward 
officer,  which  position  he  filled  for  four  years. 


1  See  Lawyers. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


361 


In  1856  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business 
at  South  Boston,  in  which  he  continued  for 
nearly  three  years.  In  1859  he  entered  the 
business  for  the  sale  of  ship  stores  on  Broad 
street,  where  he  was  located  for  about  ten 
years.  He  later  engaged  in  the  liquor  trade 
until  1878,  when  he  opened  an  office  as  a 
broker  and  dealer  in  real  estate.  He  repre- 
sented old  Ward  7  in  the  Legislature  of 
1865-66,  and  served  in  the  Common  Council 
of  1865,  '66,  '68,  '69,  '71,  '72,  '73,  '74,  '75, 
'76,  '77,  and  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Aldermen  in  1879,  '80,  '81.  In  1883 
he  was  again  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council,  and  was  elected  president  of  that 
body,  being  the  first  Irish-American  who 
held  that  office.  In  the  same  year  he  was 
appointed  superintendent  of  streets  of  the 
city  of  Boston,  the  position  he  held  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Charitable  Irish  Society,  Knights  of  St. 
Patrick,  and  other  organizations,  and  was 
at  one  time  captain  of  the  old  Montgomery 
Guard,  Ninth  Regiment,  M.V.M. . 

Fogarty,  Jeremiah  W.^  assessor's 
clerk,  born  in  Boston,  Sept.  1,  1846.  He 
graduated  from  the  Quincy  School,  i860,  and 
the  English  High  School  in  1863.  He  then 
engaged  in  the  railroad  business,  and  was 
employed  as  chief  business  clerk  at  the  East 
Boston  office  of  the  Boston  &  Albany  Rail- 
road. He  was  appointed  assessor's  clerk  in 
1875,  and  also  receiving-teller  of  the  col- 
lector's department.  He  has  been  secretary 
of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society  since  1885, 
and  is  one  of  the  committee  appointed  to 
complete  a  history  of  the  society. 

Fox,  James  W.1 

Gagan,  Edward,  born  in  Charlestown, 
Dec.  14,  1849.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  this  vicinity.  In  1863  he 
shipped  in  the  navy,  from  which  he  was 
honorably  discharged  at  the  expiration  of  his 
service  in  1865.    Some  years  ago  he  learned 

1  See  Lawyers. 


the  trade  of  an  iron  moulder,  but  is  at 
present  engaged  in  the  liquor  business  in 
Charlestown.  He  is  a  member  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  Post,  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Democratic  Ward  and  City  Committee  for  a 
number  of  years  past,  and  represented  Ward 
5  in  the  General  Court  of  1885. 

Gallagher,  James  H.,  born  in  Boston, 
Sept.  29,  1855.  He  attended  the  Mayhew 
School  of  this  city.  He  became  employed 
after  leaving  school  at  furniture  polishing, 
and  later  worked  about  five  years  as  a 
glazier.  About  1872  he  engaged  in  the 
liquor  business,  which  he  has  continued  since. 
He  represented  Ward  7  in  the  Common 
Council  of  1883,  '84,  '85,  and  during  the  latter 
year  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Public 
Institutions.  He  was  at  one  period  presi- 
dent of  the  West  End  Athletic  Club  and 
West  End  Boat  Club.  On  Jan.  31,  1883, 
he  was  appointed  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  by 
Governor  Butler. 

Gallagher,  William,  real  estate,  born  in 
Boston,  Nov.  8,  181 8,  died  at  South  Boston, 
June  I,  1884.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  and  was  at  one  time  engaged  in  the 
stove  trade.  He  was  also  largely  connected 
as  trustee  and  commissioner  of  real-estate 
transactions,  and  held  the  office  of  first 
assistant  assessor  in  i860,  '62,  '65,  67,  '70, 
'73.  In  1863-64  he  represented  old  Ward 
12  in  the  Common  Council.  He  was  for 
many  years  identified  with  the  Phillips  Con- 
gregational Church,  holding  offices  in  the 
church  and  society.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  incorporators  of  the  South  Boston 
Savings  Bank,  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Lodge 
F.  and  A.M.,  St.  Matthew's  R.A.  Chapter, 
and  St.  Omer  Commandery  of  Knights 
Templars.  He  was  always  identified  with 
matters  of  local  interest  in  the  South  Boston 
district.  He  was  the  father  of  Hon.  Charles 
F.  and  Mr.  William  Gallagher. 

Gallivan,  William  J.,  United  States 
clerk,  born  in  Boston,  Feb.  2,  1865.  He 
was  a  graduate  of  the  Lawrence  Grammar 


362 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


and  Boston  Latin  Schools,  and  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, class  of  1888.  He  was  for  a  time 
employed  as  extra  clerk  in  the  Assessors' 
Department,  also  for  the  registrars  of 
voters  of  the  city,  and  is  now  clerk  in  the 
warehouse  department  of  the  United  States 
Custom  House  in  Boston.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association 
of  Boston  College,  and  of  the  School  and 
College  Alumni. 

Galvin,  Owen  A.1 

Gargan,  Francis,  agent,  Republic  Mills, 
born  in  Boston,  Dec.  25,  1846.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  this  city, 
and  also  at  the  Georgetown  College,  D.C., 
where  he  studied  one  year  in  the  senior 
class.  He  represented  Ward  8  in  the 
Legislature  of  1878. 

GlLMAN,  John  E.,  settlement  clerk  at 
Board  of  Directors'  office  of  Public  Institu- 
tions, born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Dec.  22,  1844. 
He  was  educated  at  the  Boston  public 
schools.  When  fourteen  years  of  age  he  was 
withdrawn  from  school  and  apprenticed  to 
Pond  &  Duncklee,  tinsmiths.  He  enlisted 
at  Boston  in  the  Twelfth  (Webster)  Regi- 
ment, Massachusetts  Volunteers,  Aug.  5, 1862. 
He  was  sent  to  Camp  Cameron,  Cambridge, 
and  afterwards  ordered  to  the  seat  of  war. 
He  joined  his  regiment  at  Rapidan  river,  Va., 
Aug.  13,  1862,  and  was  attached  to  Thomp- 
son's Independent  Pennsylvania  Battery,  and 
engaged  with  them  in  battles  at  Rappahan- 
nock Station,  Thoroughfare  Gap,  Bull  Run, 
2d,  and  Chantilly.  On  Sept.  1,  1862,  he  re- 
joined the  regiment  at  Hall's  Hill,  Va.,  and 
engaged  in  battles  at  South  Mountain,  Md., 
September  14;  Antietam,  September  17; 
Fredericksburg,  December  13;  and  Chan- 
cellorsville.  He  fought  on  the  memorable 
field  of  Gettysburg,  July  I  and  2,  1863. 
During  that  fearful  and  decisive  struggle 
for  the  preservation  of  the  Union  Mr. 
Oilman  gallantly  faced  the  horror  and  peril 

1  See  Lawyers. 


of  that  hard-fought  and  well-won  battle. 
On  the  second  day  of  July  he  lost  his  right 
arm,  near  the  shoulder,  by  a  shell.  He  was 
sent  to  the  hospital  at  York,  Penn.,  and  he 
was  discharged  Sept.  28,  1863.  His  com- 
manders were:  Capt.  Benjamin  F.  Cook, 
of  Company  E;  Col.  Fletcher  Webster 
(son  of  Daniel) ,  who  was  killed  at  Bull  Run ; 
Col.  James  L.  Bates,  who  succeeded  the  latter; 
and  General  Reynolds,  of  the  First  Corps, 
who  was  killed  at  Gettysburg,  July  1 .  He  was 
messenger  and  assistant  doorkeeper  at  the 
State  House,  1864-65,  and  has  been  a  Justice 
of  the  Peace  since  1866.  He  was  a  State 
constable  from  1865-73,  and  then  employed 
as  settlement  clerk  by  the  Board  of  State 
Charities  from  1879  until  1883,  which  position 
he  resigned  to  assume  the  duties  of  his  present 
occupation.  As  a  member  of  the  John  A. 
Andrew  Post  15,  G.A.R.,  from  1868-75,  and 
subsequently  of  the  Charles  Russell  Lowell 
Post  7,  G.A.R.,  he  won  good  recognition 
from  his  comrades.  He  transferred  to 
Thomas  G.  Hatton  Post  26,  G.A.R.,  of 
Roxbury,  Jan.  19,  1885.  He  was  elected 
officer  of  the  day,  1886-87,  anc^  commander 
(26),  1888.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Gettysburg 
Club.  He  was  the  poet  at  the  dedication  of 
the  Twelfth  Regiment  monument  on  the  field 
of  Gettysburg.  He  composed  and  read  an 
original  poem  for  the  occasion,  and  unveiled 
the  Twelfth  Regiment  monument.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Twelfth  Regiment  Associa- 
tion, representing  Company  E.  He  has 
been  president  of  the  Young  Men's  Catholic 
Association  of  Boston  College.  He  founded 
a  House  of  Representatives  for  the  associa- 
tion, after  the  plan  of  that  branch  of  the 
State  government.  He  was  elected  five 
times  president  of  the  Shield  Literary 
Institute,  and  the  first  president  of  the 
Boston  Oratorio  Society,  1873;  vice-presi- 
dent, 1874-77;   and  president  since  then. 

He  was  elected  president  of  the  Clover 
Club,  1887.  He  is  a  Catholic,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  St.  Mary's  choir  since  1S65,  and 
bass  soloist  since  1877.  Pie  has  written 
for  the  Boston  "Journal,"  "Gettysburg 
Poems ;"  "King  Alcohol,"  for  "  The  Nation; " 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


363 


and   a   touching  poem   entitled  "  War,"  for 
the  "  Grand  Army  Record." 

Glancy,  John,  advertising  agent,  has 
been  one  of  Boston's  leading  Irish-Ameri- 
cans for  forty  years.  Mr.  Glancy,  who  was 
paymaster  of  the  old  Columbian  Artillery, 
Boston,  from  which  the  old  Ninth  Massa- 
chusetts Regiment  sprang,  was  born  in 
County  Leitrim,  Ireland,  in  the  year  1829, — 
a  very  remarkable  one  in  Irish  history,  being 
the  year  that  gave  emancipation,  or,  in  other 
words,  liberty  of  conscience,  to  the  people. 
He  was  a  Young  Irelander  in  1848,  the  year 
he  immigrated  to  this  country.  Being  always 
patriotic,  he  joined  the  Columbian  Artillery 
of  Boston,  immediately  after  landing,  and 
declared  his  intentions  of  becoming  a  citizen 
of  the  United  States.  He  remained  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Columbians  until  disbanded  by 
Governor  Gardiner  in  1854.  Mr.  Glancy, 
at  the  Burns's  Riot  in  Boston,  and  under 
Colonel  Cass,  who  was  then  captain,  took 
a  musket  and  did  duty  as  private,  and 
was  ordered  by  Captain  Cass  to  take  the 
head  of  the  company,  where  he  remained 
without  flinching  during  that  eventful  period. 
Mr.  Glancy  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
everything  that  interested  the  Irish  people 
in  Boston  since  then.  He  was  in  the  city 
government  of  Boston  during  the  years 
1862,  '63,  '64;  and  represented  the  old  Third 
Ward  in  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts 
two  years,  in  1865  and  1866,  when  there 
were  only  six  Democrats  in  the  Legis- 
lature against  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
four  Republicans.  He  was  truly  in  the 
glorious  minority,  as  he  himself  many 
times  remarked ;  but  nevertheless  he  was  in- 
strumental in  carrying  two  or  three  very 
important  measures  under  Gov.  John  A. 
Andrew,  who  commissioned  him  as  a  Justice 
of  Peace  of  Massachusetts,  a  commission  he 
still  holds.  In  1861,  when  the  war  broke 
out,  he  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  formation 
of  the  Ninth,  under  Colonel  Cass,  presented 
the  regiment  with  the  two  battle-flags  which 
the  regiment  carried  through  every  battle, 
and  can  now  be  seen  riddled  to  shreds  in  the 


archives  of  the  State.  Mr.  Glancy  always 
attends  the  reunion  of  the  Ninth,  and  he  has 
himself  declared  he  considers  himself  the 
godfather,  or  at  least  one  of  the  godfathers, 
of  the  old  regiment  that  covered  itself  with 
glory. 

Gorman,  Dennis  J.,  clerk,  Assessors'  De- 
partment, born  in  Boston,  Oct.  25,  1843. 
He  graduated  from  the  Boylston  School  in 
1856,  and  Evening  High  School  in  i860. 
He  subsequently  learned  the  photographic 
stock  business,  and  later  attended  Holy 
Cross  College.  In  1867  was  one  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  Charitable  Irish 
Society.  He  represented  Ward  5  in  the 
Legislature  of  1869-70.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Ninth  Massachusetts  Regi- 
ment since  1865,  serving  from  private  to 
captain.  He  assisted  in  organizing  six  com- 
panies of  the  Fifty-fifth  Massachusetts  Regi- 
ment, which  done  service  at  New  Orleans 
during  the  Civil  War.  Some  time  ago  he  was 
appointed  a  clerk  in  the  Assessors'  Depart- 
ment of  the  city  of  Boston. 

Graham,  James  B.,  painter,  born  in  Hali- 
fax, N.S.,  about  1838.  He  came  to  Boston 
when  about  ten  years  of  age,  and  has  since 
resided  in  this  city.  He  represented  Ward  20 
in  the  Common  Council  of  1876,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Democratic  Ward  and  City 
Committee  of  the  same  year.  He  was  also 
a  member  of  the  General  Court  of  1877,  '78, 
and  was  reelected  to  the  Common  Council 
of  1884,  '85,  '86. 

Griffin,  Gerald,  born  in  Yonkers, 
N.Y.,  about  1853;  died  at  Boston,  Mass., 
March,  1889.  He  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  place,  and  at  Brooklyn, 
N.Y.  He  had  been  a  resident  of  Boston 
for  about  fourteen  years,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was  the  New  England  representa- 
tive of  Cassell  &  Co.,  the  London  publishers. 
He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Boston 
School  Committee  in  1886,  to  fill  a  vacancy, 
and  was  reelected  in  the  same  year  for  a 
term  of  three  years.     He  was  a  Democrat,  a 


364 


THE    IRISH   IN  BOSTON. 


progressive  educator,  and  a  member  of  many 
organizations,  including  the  Y.M.C.A.  of 
Boston  College,  the  Orpheus  Musical  and 
Clover  Clubs. 

Haggerty,  David  J.,  lawyer,  born  in 
Boston,  Jan.  i,  1857.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  this  city,  and  at  pres- 
ent resides  at  South  Boston.  He  is  a  com- 
missioned officer  of  the  Ninth  Regiment, 
M.V.M.;  and  represented  Ward  14  in  the 
General  Court  of  1886,  '87,  '88,  serving  on 
important  committees. 

Haggerty,  Roger,  grocer,  born  in  Lee- 
macrosson,  County  Donegal,  Ireland,  May, 
1846.  He  arrived  in  this  country  in  1865, 
and  located  in  Boston.  He  was  educated  at 
one  of  the  national  schools  in  his  native 
land.  He  was  employed  in  Boston  as  a 
teamster  for  five  years,  which  business  he 
discontinued  and  engaged  in  groceries  for 
himself.  He  represented  Ward  7  in  the 
Common  Council  of  1887-88.  He  is  a 
member  of  both  the  Catholic  and  the  Ancient 
Order  of  Foresters,  and  the  Charitable  Irish 
Society. 

Hanley,  Patrick  T.  —  He  was  born  in 
Roscommon,  Ireland,  in  1 831,  and  came  to 
the  United  States  with  his  people  when  only 
twelve  years  old.  He  lived  for  some  time 
after  his  arrival  here  at  Hamilton,  O.,  and 
learned  there  the  trade  of  cooper.  In  1848 
he  moved  to  Boston  at  the  request  of  Messrs. 
Fisher  &  Chapin,  pork  merchants,  with  whom 
he  served  as  foreman  of  their  packing  estab- 
lishment until  i860,  when  he  visited  Ireland. 
In  1853-54  young  Hanley  was  a  member  of 
the  Columbian  Artillery,  Fifth  Regiment, 
M.V.M.,  which  was,  at  the  time,  commanded 
by  Captain  Thompson  and  Col.  Thomas  Cass; 
afterward  of  the  "  Irish  Ninth,"  was  a  lieu- 
tenant of  the  company.  After  his  European 
trip  he  returned  to  Boston  in  1 86 1,  just  at  the 
time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  and 
Captain  Cass  invited  his  cooperation  in  organ- 
izing Company  A,  Columbian  Guards,  Ninth 
Regiment.     He  readily  consented  to  assist 


in  the  work,  and  extended  his  usefulness 
farther  as  one  of  the  organizers  of  Company  B, 
Otis  Guard,  of  which  he  was  mustered  into 
service  himself  as  first  lieutenant.  At  Ar- 
lington Heights,  Va.,  in  August,  1861,  Lieu- 
tenant Hanley  succeeded  as  captain  of  the 
Otis  Guard ;  and  on  the  death  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Peard,  to  whose  position  Maj.  P.  R. 
Guiney  was  advanced,  Captain  Hanley,  in 
January,  1862,  was  commissioned  major. 
After  the  Seven  Days'  battles  on  the  Penin- 
sula, Gen.  Fitz  John  Porter,  commanding 
the  Fifth  Corps,  issued  Special  Order  No.  92, 
dated  July  30,  1862,  "for  gallant  conduct  in 
the  field  of  battle,"  in  which  he  recommended 
that  Major  Hanley  be  promoted  to  the  lieu- 
tenant-colonelcy, made  vacant  by  the  promo- 
tion of  Guiney  after  the  death  of  Cass;  and  he 
immediately  received  his  commission. 

On  the  5  th  of  May,  1864,  the  Ninth  Regi- 
ment was  among  the  first  infantry  corps  to 
charge  the  enemy  in  the  Wilderness  cam- 
paign. Marching  in  line  of  battle  to  the 
front,  Colonel  Guiney  received  a  wound  that 
lost  him  an  eye,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Hanley  was  compelled  to  assume  command; 
and  from  that  time  to  the  close  of  the  war 
gallantly  led  his  regiment  through  many 
desperate  engagements.  In  September, 
1864,  Colonel  Hanley  married  Miss  Sarah 
C.  McTague,  daughter  of  Mr.  Patrick  F. 
McTague,  an  old  and  time-honored  resident 
of  Charlestown.  Thirteen  children  Iiave 
blessed  this  union,  ten  of  whom  are  now 
living,  —  five  boys  and  five  girls.  For  the  past 
sixteen  years  Colonel  Hanley  has  been 
engaged  in  the  brewing  business  with  Messrs. 
James  McCormick  &  Co.  He  is  always 
identified  with  the  welfare  of  our  charitable 
institutions,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of 
Boston's  prominent  Irish  citizens. 

Harkins,  Dominick  J.,  upholsterer,  born 
in  Boston,  Feb.  18,  1856.  He  received 
his  education  at  St.  Mary's  Institute.  He 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  General  Court 
from  Ward  7  in  1884,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  death  of  Representative  John 
Doherty,  and  also  in  1885  and  1886.    During 


BIO  GRA  PIIICAL   SKE  TCIIES. 


365 


his  service  in  the  Legislature  he  was  on  the 
Committee  on  Drainage. 

Hayes,  James  B.,  grocer,  born  in  Boston, 
March,  1858.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Quincy  Grammar  School,  and  of  the  English 
High  School  of  1874.  He  first  entered  the 
merchandise  brokerage  business  with  Benja- 
min \V.  Parker,  and  remained  one  year, 
when  he  accepted  a  position  as  stenographer 
for  the  Boston  &  Lowell  Railroad.  He  is 
now  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  on  his 
own  account.  In  1888  was  a  member  of 
the   Common  Council. 

Hayes,  John  E.,  born  in  Boston,  March 
6,  1845.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  this  city.  During  the  war  he 
served  with  the  Forty-fifth  Massachusetts 
Volunteers  and  the  Eleventh  Battery.  He  is 
a  prominent  Democrat  of  Charlestown,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  House  in  1883  and 
1SS7.  During  his  terms  in  the  Legislature 
he  served  on  the  Committees  on  Military 
Affairs  and  Elections. 

Hayes,  John  J.,  commission  merchant, 
born  in  Killarney,  Ireland,  Jan.  26,  1845. 
He  was  educated  at  the  schools  of  Dublin, 
Ireland.  For  some  years  past  he  has  taken 
an  active  interest  in  the  business  and  political 
interests  of  the  city.  From  1876  to  1880, 
inclusive,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Boston 
School  Committee,  and  represented  the  Eighth 
District  in  the  Legislature  of  1886.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Hayes  &  Engle,  im- 
porters and  commission  merchants,  and  ranks 
among  the  prosperous  young  business  men  of 
this  vicinity. 

Hayes,  John  W.,  born  in  Boston,  July  7, 
1852,  where  he  has  always  resided.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  of  this  city  until 
eleven  years  of  age.  He  was  apprenticed  to 
McAteer  Bros,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and 
worked  at  his  trade  in  various  places  for 
eleven  years.  About  ten  years  ago  he 
became  engaged  in  the  saloon  business.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Ward 


and  City  Committee  for  four  years,  and  of 
the  Common  Council  of  1886,  '87,  '88,  serving 
on  a  number  of  important  committees.  He 
has  also  been  a  member  of  Court  Constantine 
Catholic  Order  of  Foresters,  for  four  years. 

Hayes,  Walter  L.,  elected  to  serve  in 
the  Common  Council  during  the  year  1889. 

Haynes,  Edward  F.1 

Henry,  Neil,  bill-poster,  born  in  County 
Derry,  Ireland,  March  29,  1853.  He  immi- 
grated to  this  country  very  early  in  life,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  Boston  public 
schools.  He  is  by  occupation  a  bill-poster, 
and  resides  at  the  North  End.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  of  1879  from 
Ward  7. 

Hoar,  John  J.,  salesman,  born  in  Brook- 
lyn, N.Y.,  June  17,  1863.  In  1865  he  re- 
moved to  Dorchester  with  his  parents.  He 
attended  the  Dearborn  School  and  Boston 
College.  He  was  employed  as  clerk  for  R. 
H.  White  &  Co.  from  1880  to  1882,  and 
later  for  Jordan,  Marsh,  &  Co.,  where  he  left 
in  1884  to  take  his  present  position  as  sales- 
man for  Richardson  &  Co.,  dealers  in  paints 
and  oils.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Holy  Name 
Society  of  St.  Patrick's  Church,  Massachu- 
setts Lodge  1,226,  Knights  of  Honor,  was 
vice-president  of  the  Norfolk  Associates  for 
a  year  and  a  half,  and  represented  Ward  20 
in  the  Common  Council  of  1887,  '88,  '89, 
serving  on  the  Committees  on  East  Boston 
Ferries  and  Sewers. 

Jenkins,  Edward  J. 

Joyce,  John,  currier,  born  in  London, 
England,  May,  1857.  He  was  educated  in 
Ireland.  He  has  served  in  the  United 
States  Army  and  Navy.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  from  Ward 
19  in  1879,  '80,  '81,  and  served  on  the  Com- 
mittee on  Parishes  and  Religious  Societies. 

1  See  Lawyers. 


366 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


Kearins,  Patrick,  born  in  County  Gal- 
way,  Ireland,  March  15,  1S49.  He  attended 
the  National  School  in  Ballencurry,  Ireland, 
and  immigrated  to  New  York  in  1865,  remov- 
ing to  Vermont  in  1866,  and,  finally,  to  Bos- 
ton in  the  following  year,  where  he  has  since 
been  located.  He  was  employed  as  a  team- 
ster for  three  years,  afterward  as  coachman ; 
later  with  James  O'Brien,  dealer  in  whole- 
sale liquors,  and  then  began  the  business  of 
wholesale  and  retail  liquors  for  himself.  He 
served  in  the  Common  Council  from  Ward  6 
in  1884,  '85,  '86,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Committees  on  Claims,  Public  Parks,  Com- 
mon, Water,  Fisher  Hill  Investigation,  and 
chairman  of  Committee  on  East  Boston 
Ferries. 

Keefe,  John  A.,  elected  to  the  Common 
Council  for  the  year  1889. 

Keenan,  Thomas  F.1 

Keliher,  Thomas  J.,  grocer,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, Oct.  13,  1858.  He  graduated  from  the 
Brimmer  School  in  1872.  He  was  first  em- 
ployed with  his  father  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness, and  afterwards  obtained  an  interest  in 
the  concern,  under  the  firm  name  of  Keliher 
&  Son.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council  of  1885,  '86,  '87,  '88,  and  served  on 
many  of  the  important  committees. 

Kelley,  Francis  B.,  painter,  born  in 
Ireland,  Jan.  12,  1844.  He  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1 847,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Roxbury.  He  represented 
Ward  22  in  the  Legislature  of  188 1. 

Kelley,  John,  assistant  inspector  of 
buildings,  born  in  County  Limerick,  Ire- 
land, April  7,  1830.  He  immigrated  to  this 
country  in  1 834,  and  located  in  Charlestown, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Charlestown  public  schools, 
and  afterwards  went  to  work  in  a  rope-walk. 
He   subsequently   learned    his   trade    as    a 

1  See  Journalists. 


mason,  and  worked  at  it  for  a  number 
of  years.  He  represented  Ward  3  in  the 
Common  Council  of  1875,  '76,  '77.  He 
was  later  appointed  an  inspector  of  build- 
ings, his  present  position.  He  has  been 
connected  with  the  St.  Mary's  Mutual  Relief 
Society  for  thirty- one  years;  is  a  member 
of  the  Charlestown  Veteran  Fire  Association, 
St.  Mary's  Temperance  Society,  and  the 
Montgomery  Veteran  Association. 

Kelley,  John  P.,  plumber,  born  in  Rox- 
bury, Mass.,  in  1849.  He  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools,  and  Bryant  &  Stratton's  College 
during  the  evening.  He  learned  the 
plumber's  trade  while  employed  by  P.  D. 
Allen.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council  in  the  year  1 888-89.  H  e  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Roxbury  Bachelor  Club,  the  Clan- 
na-Gael  Society,  and  Company  A,  First 
Regiment,  M.V.M. 

Kelley,  Thomas  F.,  printer,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, Dec.  4,  1861.  He  graduated  from 
the  Mayhew  School,  1873.  He  worked  on 
the  Boston  "  Daily  Globe  "  about  two  years 
after  leaving  school,  and  then  entered  the 
Rand-Avery  establishment  to  learn  the 
printer's  trade.  He  represented  Ward  8  in 
the  Common  Council  of  1887-88.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  St.  Joseph's  Young  Men's 
Catholic  Association  and  the  Hendricks  Club. 

Kendricken,  Paul  H.,  manufacturer, 
born  in  the  County  of  Galway,  Ireland,  De- 
cember 25,  1834.  He  received  a  common- 
school  education  in  the  Cooper-street  and 
Mayhew  schools  in  Boston.  He  possessed 
talent,  and  showed  a  decided  inclination  for 
mechanical  engineering.  He  spent  his  even- 
ings in  study  to  fit  him  for  that  occupation, 
and  qualified  himself  laudably  and  success- 
fully. He  passed  an  excellent  examination 
as  an  engineer  in  the  spring  of  1862,  and  a 
few  months  later  he  was  commissioned  third 
assistant  engineer  in  the  U.  S.  Navy,  and 
served  in  that  capacity  until  promoted  to  the 
position  of  second  assistant  engineer,  Sept.  6, 
1 863,  for  bravery  under  the  hardest  fire.    His 


PAUL    H      KENDRICKEN 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


367 


first  service  was"  on  board  the  "  Connemaugh  " 
of  Admiral  Dupont's  fleet.  Subsequently  he 
was  under  Admirals  Dahlgren  and  Farragut 
on  board  the  ship  "  Circassian  "  and  the  moni- 
tor "Nauset,"  from  which  he  was  transferred 
to  the  "  Connemaugh  "  by  request  of  its  com- 
mander. Mr.  Kendricken's  first  engage- 
ment was  at  the  attack  on  Fort  Wagner, 
Morris  Island,  which  was  captured  in  1863, 
after  a  long  struggle,  by  the  land  and  naval 
forces.  He  was  with  Admiral  Farragut  while 
passing  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines,  in  Mobile 
Bay,  when  the  celebrated  ram  "  Tennessee  " 
was  captured.  Thence  he  proceeded  up  the 
Mississippi  river,  and  participated  in  the  en- 
gagements at  Baton  Rouge  and  vicinity.  Mr. 
Kendricken  served  in  the  navy  four  years  and 
three  months,  and  his  resignation  was  ac- 
cepted Sept.  6,  1866,  at  which  time  he 
received  a  diploma  from  the  Naval  Depart- 
ment, on  which  were  inscribed  words  of 
gratitude  for  his  valuable  services.  He  also 
received  a  similar  diploma  from  the  State  of 
Massachusetts.  At  the  close  of  his  service 
he  returned  to  Boston,  and  was  at  once  ap- 
pointed superintendent  of  the  steam-heating 
works  of  T.  S.  Clogston  &  Co.,  and  filled  the 
position  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Clogston, 
when  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  Mr- 
Ingalls,  one  of  Mr.  Clogston's  partners,  and 
established  the  firm  of  Ingalls  &  Kendricken, 
now  one  of  the  most  successful  and  reliable 
firms  in  this  line  of  business  in  the  city. 
Mr.  Kendricken  married  an  estimable  lady 
and  settled  at  Boston  Highlands,  where  his 
public  spirit  was  quickly  appreciated.  He 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council  of  Ward  20  in  1878,  and  reelected 
in  1879  and  1880,  when  he  positively  declined 
to  be  reelected.  A  new  honor  was  bestowed 
upon  him  by  the  people  when  they  elected 
him  to  the  aldermanic  board,  in  1883,  where 
he  served  with  credit  to  himself  and  benefit 
to  the  city.  He  was  a  director  for  Public 
Institutions,  and  introduced  many  improve- 
ments and  reforms.  In  the  fall  of  1884  he 
was  elected  to  the  Massachusetts  Senate, 
defeating  Mr.  Charles  Whittier,  president  of 
the  Whittier  Machine  Company,  the  Repub- 


lican candidate.  He  was  the  first  Democrat 
that  his  party  had  been  able  to  elect  since 
the  formation  of  the  district,  and  his  success 
caused  much  rejoicing.  During  his  senatorial 
term  he  was  on  the  side  of  popular  govern- 
ment. He  opposed  the  Metropolitan  Police 
Bib  vigorously,  and  advocated  the  bill  com- 
pelling corporations  to  make  weekly  pay- 
ments to  their  employees,  which  would  have 
applied  to  all  incorporated  cities  and  towns, 
as  well  as  to  business  corporations.  He 
urged  and  fought  for  the  passage  of  the 
Soldiers'  Exemption  Bill, which  was  calculated 
to  relieve  veteran  soldiers  from  the  restric- 
tions of  the  civil-service  rules  in  the  matter 
of  employment  and  appointment  to  office. 
The  tenure  of  office  bill  for  school  teachers 
received  his  attention,  and  his  efforts  were 
directed  towards  its  successful  passage.  This 
bill  passed,  and  under  it  teachers  retain  their 
positions  until  removed  by  a  vote  of  the 
committee.  He  was  interested  in  the  Tax 
Limitation  Bill,  which  curtailed  the  borrowing 
capacity  of  the  city.  The  passage  of  this 
law  helped  Mayor  O'Brien  in  lowering  the 
tax-rate.  The  new  city  charter  shows  much 
of  his  handiwork.  In  1885  he  was  reelected 
to  the  Senate,  defeating  his  Republican  op- 
ponent, Mr.  Halsey  J.  Boardman,  by  a  hand- 
some majority.  He  proposed  and  effected 
the  passage  of  the  Park  Loan  Bill,  amount- 
ing to  two  million  five  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars. The  vote  stood  eight  to  three  against 
the  bill  before  he  had  it  passed.  He  is  a 
large  owner  of  real  estate,  notably  the  Hotel 
Nightingale,  situated  on  Dudley,  corner  of 
Folsom  street,  which  is  assessed  for  ninety 
thousand  dollars.  He  is  a  member  of  Ed- 
ward Kingsley  Post  113,  G.A.R.,  Commo- 
dore of  the  Kearsarge  Association  of  Naval 
Veterans,  and  has  a  large  interest  in  the 
Roxbury  Club,  of  which  he  is  a  director.  It 
includes  some  of  the  most  influential  and 
prominent  men  on  its  membership  roll. 

Kennedy,  Patrick  J.,  trader,  born  in 
East  Boston,  Jan.  2,  1858.  His  early  edu- 
cation was  acquired  in  the  public  schools. 
He  is  a  well-Kncwn  Democrat  of  Noddle's 


368 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


Island,  and  has  served  in  the  Legislature 
during  iSS6and  1SS7.  As  a  member  of  the 
lower  branch  of  the  Legislature  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Committees  on  Cities  and 
Printing. 

Kidney,  John  A.,  auditor's  clerk,  born 
in  Boston,  Feb.  2,  1849.  He  graduated 
from  the  Eliot  School  in  1864,  and  afterwards 
attended  the  English  High  School.  He  was 
employed  by  Geo.  B.  Upton,  merchant, 
the  New  England  Lithographic  Company, 
and  from  1874  to  1878  was  engaged  as 
treasurer  and  secretary  of  the  shoe-machine 
companies  of  H.  E.  Townsend.  He  was 
in  the  insurance  business  for  a  short  period, 
until  he  accepted  the  position,  in  July,  1880, 
of  clerk  in  the  auditor's  office  of  the  city  of 
Boston.  He  represented  Ward  6  in  the 
Common  Council  of  1877,  '78,  '79,  and  to 
July,  1880.  He  is  a  member  of  American 
Legion  of  Honor,  Paul  Revere  Mutual  Bene- 
fit Association,  and  Irish  Charitable  Society. 

Kinney,  John  F.,  elected  to  serve  in  the 
Common  Council  for  the  year  1889. 

Lamb,  Abraham  J.,  provision  dealer, 
born  in  Boston,  July  27,  1S44.  He  received 
his  educational  training  in  the  public  schools 
of  this  city.  He  has  been  engaged  in  the 
provision  business  for  some  time  past;  repre- 
sented Ward  16  in  the  Common  Council  of 
1872-73  and  the  Legislature  of  1 88 1,  '82,  '83, 
serving  on  the  Committee  on  Mercantile  Af- 
fairs. 

Lane,  Thomas  J.,  superintendent  of  print- 
ing, born  in  Mallow,  County  of  Cork,  Ireland, 
Dec.  15,  1843.  He  immigrated  in  1850, 
and  located  in  Boston.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  until  eleven  years  of  age, 
when  he  left  to  learn  the  printer's  trade.  He 
served  an  apprenticeship  in  the  offices  of 
Damrell  &  Moore  and  J.  E.  Farwell  &  Co. 
He  left  the  latter  office  at  nineteen  years  of 
age  to  enter  the  service  of  the  United  States 
in  the  Rebellion,  and  enlisted  as  private  in  a 
company  of  the  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts 
Volunteers.     The  regiment  did  nine  months' 


service  in  North  Carolina,  and  upon  its  return 
Mr  Lane  reenlisted  in  the  Fourth  Massa- 
chusetts Cavalry,  serving  as  the  company 
quartermaster-sergeant,  second  and  first  lieu- 
tenant. He  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  when  the  company  was  disbanded  at 
Galloupe's  Island,  by  order  of  the  adjutant- 
general.  After  the  war  he  returned  to  Far- 
well's  printing-office,  where  he  remained 
until  the  spring  of  1866,  when  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Rockwell  &  Churchill.  In 
1883  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of 
printing  of  the  city  of  Boston. 

Lappen,  John  Edward,  wooden  and 
willow  ware,  born  in  Chelsea,  Mass.,  Jan.  1, 
1855.  He  graduated  from  the  Lawrence 
Grammar  School  in  1869,  and  attended  the 
English  High  School  for  a  year.  He  after- 
wards became  employed  by  his  uncle,  of  the 
firm  of  Owen  Lappen  &  Co.,  dealers  in 
wooden  and  willow  ware,  and  on  Oct. 
10,  1885,  began  business  in  the  same  line  for 
himself.  He  served  in  the  Common  Council 
of  1883,  '84,  '85,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Committees  on  Treasury  and  Collector's  De- 
partments, City  Hospital,  Improved  Sewer- 
age, and  Finance.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum  and  Charitable  Irish  Society. 

Leahy,  Dennis  J.,  real  estate,  born  in 
Boston,  July  28, 1856.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Boston.  He  is  at  pres- 
ent a  member  of  the  firm  of  Leahy  &  Kelly, 
real-estate  dealers  and  auctioneers.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  State  Militia,  and  repre- 
sented Ward  6  in  the  Legislature  of  1885-86, 
serving  on  the  Committee  on  Mercantile 
Affairs. 

Leary,  Edward  J.,  music  compositor,  born 
in  South  Boston,  May  27,  i860.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  this  city. 
He  was  first  employed  by  the  Suffolk  Glass 
Company,  and  later,  until  1 S87,  by  Giles  &  Gay. 
He  represented  Ward  13  in  the  Common 
Council  of  1886-87  and  the  General  Court 
of  1888,  serving  on  important  committees  in 
both  bodies.     He  is  a  member  of  St.  Peter 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 


369 


and  Paul's  Total  Abstinence  Society,  South 
Boston  Athletic  Club,  Knights  of  Labor, 
Avenue  Hall  Democratic  Club,  and  Chief 
Ranger,  St.  Peter  and  Paul's  Catholic  Order 
of  Foresters. 

Lee,  John  H.,  reporter,  born  in  Boston, 
April  26,  1846.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  and  afterwards  attended  a 
private  academy.  He  was  first  employed  as 
an  apprentice  to  a  wood-turner;  afterward 
learned  chemistry;  later  became  hotel  clerk, 
and  finally  proprietor.  He  has  been  en- 
gaged, in  recent  years,  as  a  reporter  of  the 
live-stock  market  for  daily  and  trade  papers. 
He  is  a  resident  of  Brighton,  and  represented 
Ward  25  in  the  Common  Council  of  18S3, 
'84,  '85,  '86,  and  served  as  president  of  that 
body  during  1SS4.  He  has  been  one  of  the 
leading  Democrats  of  local  fame  for  several 
years,  and  a  member  of  the  Democratic 
Ward  and  City  Committee  for  ten  years, 
serving  as  president  during  1885-86. 

Logan,  Lawrence  J.,  born  in  Ireland, 
Aug.  12,  1842.  He  was  educated  in  the 
national  schools  of  his  native  country.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1858,  and  first 
located  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  where  he  went 
to  work  in  an  iron  foundry.  He  served  an 
apprenticeship  of  four  years  at  the  iron- 
moulding  trade,  when  he  removed  to  Boston 
and  engaged  as  clerk  for  P.  F.  Logan.  In 
1 86 1  he  was  admitted  a  partner,  under  the  firm 
style  of  P.  F.  Logan  &  Brother,  which  contin- 
ued until  1873,  when  he  succeeded  to  the 
business.  He  enlisted  as  private  in  the  Ninth 
Massachusetts  Regiment  in  1866,  was  pro- 
moted from  time  to  time,  and  now  holds  the 
position  of  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  regi- 
ment. Thus  he  has  rendered  military  ser- 
vice for  twenty-three  years.  Mr.  Logan 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Democratic  City 
Committee  since  1867,  served  four  years  as 
its  treasurer,  succeeding  Michael  Doherty, 
and  represented  the  Fourth  District  in  the 
Governor's  Council  of  1886-87.  ^e  *s  a 
leading  Irish  Nationalist,  is  connected  also 
with   a  number  of  American   societies,  was 


formerly  a  director  of  the  Home  for  Desti- 
tute Catholic  Children,  and  has  always  been 
a  liberal  contributor  to  Catholic  charities. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Charitable  Irish 
Society,  makes  an  excellent  presiding  officer 
at  a  public  meeting,  and  is  a  large  real-estate 
owner. 

Lomasney,  Joseph  P.,  printer,  born  in 
Boston,  March  10,  1863.  He  attended  the 
Mayhewand  Phillips  Schools,  and  engaged  in 
earning  a  livelihood  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years. 
After  learning  the  printer's  trade  he  became 
employed  in  the  Lamp  Department  for  two 
years.  In  1883  he  took  an  active  part  in  the 
Independent  Democratic  movement  in  Ward 
8.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council  during  1888,  representing  the  eighth 
ward. 

Lynch,  John  E.,  boiler-maker,  born  in  St. 
John,  N.B.,  Jan.  28,  1852.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  both  St.  John  and  Bos- 
ton. He  learned  the  trade  of  boiler-maker 
at  the  establishment  of  Cook,  Rymes,  &  Co., 
Charlestown,  and  afterwards  accepted  a  posi- 
tion in  1 87 1  as  clerk  in  the  office  of  E.  P.  Hodge 
&  Co.,  boiler-makers  at  East  Boston,  of  which 
firm  he  is  now  a  member.  He  was  connected 
with  the  Republican  Ward  and  City  Commit- 
tee for  two  years,  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council  of  1884-85,  the  Legislature  of  1886- 
87,  and  is  at  present  a  director  of  East  Boston 
Ferries.  He  is  a  member  of  Mt.  Tabor 
Lodge  F.  and  A.M.,  St.  John's  Royal  Arch 
Chapter,  East  Boston  Council  Royal  and 
Select  Masters,  Wm.  Parkman  Commandery 
of  Knights  Templars,  Knights  of  Honor,  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen,  Massachu- 
setts Charitable  Mechanic  Association,  and  a 
director  of  the  Suffolk  Masonic  Mutual  Relief 
Association,  Boston  Citizens'  Electric  Light 
and  Power  Company,  and  the  Free  Press 
Publishing  Company.  He  is  a  resident  of 
East  Boston. 

Lyons,  Thomas  F.,  sign  writer  and  painter, 
born  in  Boston,  Nov.  17,  1850.  He  gradu- 
ated from  the  Lawrence  Grammar  School. 


370 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


On  March  10,  1864,  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years,  he  entered  the  service  of  the  United 
States  Navy  as  a  third-class  boy,  but  was 
shortly  promoted  to  the  rank  of  first  class. 
He  was  sent  to  the  front  on  board  the  United 
States  supply-boat  "  Connecticut,"  of  the 
West  Gulf  blockading  squadron  under  Ad- 
miral Farragut,  and  was  engaged  at  Mobile 
-Bay.  He  was  ordered  aboard  the  famous 
rebel  ram  "Tennessee,"  and  took  an  active 
part  in  the  engagement  against  Fort  Morgan; 
afterward  he  did  service  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Red  river,  and  on  board  the  United  States 
gunboat  "  Glasgow,"  in  charge  of  Admiral 
Thatcher.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  began 
an  apprenticeship  of  about  seven  years  at 
sign  and  decorative  painting,  his  present 
business.  He  represented  Ward  19  in  the 
Common  Council  of  1888-89. 

Macnamara,  Daniel  G.,  was  born  in  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  April  12,  1839,  received  a  public- 
school  and  academic  education;  taught 
penmanship  and  book-keeping  at  the  age  of 
sixteen ;  is  the  youngest  of  three  brothers,  com- 
missioned officers  of  the  Ninth,  who  recruited 
and  organized  Company  E  in  April,  1861, 
for  the  Ninth  Regiment.  He  was  commis- 
sioned a  lieutenant  in  the  State  Militia,  but 
preferred  to  be  mustered  into  the  volunteer 
service  in  1861  as  first  sergeant;  was  pro- 
moted commissary  and  quartermaster-ser- 
geant, second  and  first  lieutenant,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty-two,  quartermaster  of  the  regi- 
ment; was  constantly  with  his  regiment  dur- 
ing three  years'  service,  and  never  off  duty 
or  on  the  sick  list;  was  slightly  wounded  at 
Fredericksburg;  was  highly  commended  as 
brave,  faithful,  and  competent  in  the  dis- 
charge of  all  his  duties  by  his  superior  offi- 
cers. He  served  in  Texas  as  lieutenant  in 
the  Twenty-fifth  Army  Corps;  was  adjutant 
of  the  Ninth  Militia  Regiment  in  1868-69. 
Read  law  with  the  intention  of  becoming  a 
member  of  the  Suffolk  Bar,  but  subsequently 
accepted  a  clerkship  under  Collector  Russell 
at  the  Boston  Custom  House  in  1867,  where 
he  is  still  employed,  with  the  same  faithful- 
ness and  constancy  that  marked  his  career  in 


the  war.  At  the  present  time  he  is  major  of 
the  Montgomery  Veterans  and  president 
of  the  Society  of  the  Ninth  Regiment,  in  his 
sixth  term.  He  is  a  past  commander  of 
John  A.  Andrew  Post  15,  G.A.R.,  of  this 
city.  His  untiring  and  unselfish  interest  in 
his  old  comrades  of  the  Ninth  Regiment  is 
highly  appreciated  by  all,  and  their  regard 
for  him  grows  stronger  as  they  grow  older. 
His  elder  brother,  Capt.  James  W.  Macnamara, 
was  killed  in  action  at  the  Wilderness  under 
General  Grant.  He  was  a  brilliant  soldier. 
The  history  of  the  Ninth  Regiment  was 
written  by  his  next  oldest  brother,  Capt. 
Michael  H.,  now  living  in  the  West. 

Macnamara,  Capt.  James  Wm.,  Ninth 
Regiment,  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  was 
born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Nov.  23, 1835.  He  was 
the  oldest  of  three  brothers,  who  served  in  the 
Ninth  Regiment  as  commission  officers.  His 
father,  Daniel  Macnamara,  and  his  mother, 
Mary  —  nee  Hickey — emigrated  from  Lim- 
erick, Ireland,  and  arrived  in  Boston  in  1833. 
He  received  a  public-school  and  academic 
education  and  learned  the  trade  of  printer. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  chose  seamanship 
for  a  profession,  and  after  his  first  voyage 
around  the  world  went  through  a  thorough 
course  of  navigation  under  Captain  Spear,  of 
Boston,  a  professor  of  navigation,  after  which 
he  followed  the  sea  until  he  obtained  the 
rank  of  mate,  under  an  English  firm  at  Lon- 
don. While  on  a  trading  voyage  between 
London  and  the  East  Indies  the  Rebellion 
broke  out,  and  on  arriving  in  London,  on  a 
return  voyage,  he  learned  the  situation  of 
affairs  at  home,  settled  up  with  his  firm,  much 
against  their  wishes,  and  took  the  first  steamer 
to  Boston.  On  his  arrival  at  Boston  he  found 
his  two  younger  brothers,  Michael  and 
Daniel,  raising  a  company  for  Cass's  Irish 
Regiment. 

His  intention  was  to  enter  the  cavalry  ser- 
vice, —  having  served  as  a  volunteer  in  the 
India  service  during  his  travels,  —  but 
"  blood  being  thicker  than  water  "  he  joined 
his  brothers,  and  was  commissioned  a  second 
lieutenant  of  Company  E,  then  unattached. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


371 


On  the  subsequent  organization  of  the  regi- 
ment, and  final  muster  into  service  June  II, 
1861,  he  and  his  brother  Daniel  were  left 
out  of  the  list  of  commissioned  officers,  and 
he  accepted  the  position  of  color-sergeant  of 
Company  I  (colored  company),  and  received 
the  national  flag  from  the  hands  of  Governor 
Andrew  the  day  the  regiment  marched  for 
the  seat  of  war.  He  was,  on  the  arrival  of 
the  regiment  at  Washington,  promoted  first 
sergeant  of  Company  I,  and  at  the  battle  of 
Gaines's  Mills  severely  wounded  and  taken 
prisoner.  On  his  exchange  he  joined  his 
regiment  from  hospital,  and  was  promoted  a 
second  lieutenant,  having  previously  received 
from  his  colonel  the  following  letter  on  his 
return  to  duty :  — 

[copy.] 

Headquarters  Ninth  Mass.  Vols., 
Oct.  15,  1862. 

First  Sergeant  James  W.  Macnamara: — 
Sergeant,  —  I  hereby  appoint  you  acting 
second  lieutenant  in  this  regiment,  and  as  soon 
as  I  am  officially  informed  of  a  vacancy,  which 
no  doubt  now  exists,  I  purpose  to  recommend 
you  for  commission. 

This  opportunity  affords  me  sincere  pleasure. 
You  were  meritorious  at  Hanover,  gallant  at 
Gaines's  Mills  and  the  Chickahominy,  and  in 
camp  and  on  parade  your  conduct  and  appear- 
ance entitles  you  to  my  esteem,  and  to  whatever 
reward  I  am  able  to  bestow. 

(Signed)  P.    R.  GUINEY, 

Colonel  commanding 
Ninth  Massachusetts  Volunteers. 

The  fact  that  no  such  letter  was  issued  by 
Colonel  Guiney  to  any  other  non-commis- 
sioned officer  in  the  regiment  before  or  since 
is  proof  of  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was 
held.  His  soldierly  and  manly  qualities  soon 
advanced  him  to  first  lieutenant  and  cap- 
tain. He  passed  through  all  the  campaigns 
of  the  regiment,  and  in  every  position  of  trial 
and  danger  proved  himself  a  brave,  cool, 
and  daring  leader. 

His  motto  was  "  Follow  me,"  and  he  was 
never  known  to  take  men  in  where  he  could 


not  take  them  out.  At  Hanover  Court- 
House,  where  he  is  particularly  mentioned, 
the  right  wing  under  command  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Guiney  became  separated  from  the 
left  wing  under  Colonel  Cass,  the  latter  being 
in  the  open  wheat-field,  and  the  former  well 
into  the  woods  and  underbrush.  Naturally 
the  left  wing  swept  forward  in  pursuit  of 
rebel  General  Branche's  retreating  troops, 
breaking  from  and  leaving  far  in  the  rear  the 
right  wing.  It  took  but  a  few  moments  for 
Colonel  Guiney  to  discover  that  he  was  alone 
in  the  woods  with  but  one-half  of  the  regi- 
ment. How  to  reach  and  connect  was  the 
question.  Sergeant  Macnamara  solved  the 
problem.  "Colonel,"  he  said,  "I  will  find 
the  left  wing,  with  your  permission."  On  the 
left  flank  he  deployed  skirmishers,  and  in  less 
time  than  it  takes  to  write  it  his  company 
were  out  on  the  open  field  and  deployed  six 
yards  apart  in  single  file  until  he  struck  the 
left  wing  in  full  pursuit  of  the  enemy. 

To  communicate  with  Colonel  Cass  and 
state  the  situation  of  affairs  was  but  the  work 
of  a  moment,  and  when  the  right  wing  came 
in  sight  on  the  double-quick  and  joined  the 
left,  the  regiment  raised  an  Irish  cheer  that 
made  the  retreating  foe  think  that  the 
"Yankees"  had  reinforcements. 

It  was  then  that  the  Ninth  rendered  such 
gallant  service  that  the  "  wind  up  "  of  the 
battle  of  Hanover  Court-House  was  short, 
sharp,  and  decisive. 

Not  until  the  last  campaign  of  the  Ninth 
did  this  intrepid  soldier  fall.  It  was  at  the 
Wilderness,  May  5,  1864,  under  Grant, 
leading  his  men  in  a  charge  on  the  enemy. 
In  the  woods  they  lay  concealed  awaiting  till 
the  Ninth  approached.  The  brigade  to  which 
the  Ninth  was  attached  fell  in  ambush  —  flank 
and  front.  To  go  forward  was  slaughter,  to 
retreat,  the  same.  Nearly  all  the  officers 
and  one-half  the  men  fell.  Nineteen  officers 
out  of  twenty-six  were  killed  or  wounded. 
Among  the  mortally  wounded  was  Captain 
Macnamara,  shot  through  and  through. 

He  now  lies  buried  at  Holyhood  Cemetery, 
Brookline,  where  General  Guiney  and  others 
of  the  Ninth  "  sleep  their  last  sleep." 


372 


THE    IRISH    L\     BOSTON. 


Maguire,  Patrick  James,  merchant  tailor, 
born  in  County  Fermanagh,  Ireland,  March 
14,  1840.  He  came  to  this  city  at  five  years 
of  age,  and  studied  at  the  public  schools. 
He  learned  the  tailor's  trade  under  Lothrop 
&  Godfrey,  and  was  employed  at  Oak  Hall 
Clothing  House  as  foreman.  He  engaged 
in  the  tailoring  business  with  George 
W.  Jacobs,  under  the  style  of  Jacobs  & 
Maguire,  and  afterwards  formed  a  partner- 
ship under  the  firm  name  of  Sullivan  & 
Maguire  for  the  carrying  on  of  the  same 
business.  His  services  in  the  Common  Coun- 
cil include  the  years  from  1879  through 
1884,  during  which  time  he  made  many  street 
improvements  which  largely  benefited  his 
section  of  the  city.  He  was  a  director  for 
public  institutions,  1882-83,  and  by  his 
efforts  the  Catholic  inmates  at  Deer  Island 
were  given  the  right  by  the  city  to  partici- 
pate in  their  religious  exercises  under  the 
guidance  of  a  Catholic  priest.  Mr.  Maguire 
introduced  a  new  and  economical  process 
of  manufacturing  clothing  at  this  institu- 
tion. The  new  hospital  on  Deer  Island  was 
built  by  his  strong  advocacy.  He  was  a 
Democratic  candidate  for  alderman,  1885, 
and  was  defeated.  He  received  a  re-nomi- 
nation, 1886,  and  was  elected  alderman  by  a 
majority  of  860  votes.  He  was  reelected 
Democratic  alderman,  1887,  by  a  majority 
vote  of  1,200,  the  largest  ever  cast  in  the 
aldermanic  district  comprising  Wards  19  and 
22.  He  was  on  nearly  all  the  important  com- 
mittees. The  present  system  of  heating,  as 
conducted  by  the  Boston  Steam-Heating  Com- 
pany, was  proposed  by  Alderman  Maguire,  and 
successfully  carried  through  over  the  Mayor's 
veto.  The  improvements  made  in  Wards  19 
and  22  during  the  years  of  his  aldermanic 
representation  were  much  in  excess  of  those 
made  for  twenty  years  previous,  thus  giving 
laborers  more  employment.  In  1887  he  in- 
creased the  appropriation  for  paving  streets  to 
$200,000.  He  has  been  chairman  of  the  Ward 
Committee  since  1884.  Thevote  in  Ward  19 
was  increased  from  400  to  3,000  by  his  assist- 
ance, and  the  full  Democratic  vote  will  count 
2,100.     He  is  an  uncompromising  Democrat. 


Mahan,  Benjamin  F.,  merchant,  born  at 
Northboro'  April  14,  181 6;  died  in  Boston, 
Jan.  24,  1882.  He  came  to  this  city  while  in 
his  teens,  and  entered  the  ship-store  ware- 
house of  his  brother,  John  Mahan,  on  Long 
Wharf,  where  he  remained  for  four  or  five 
years,  when  he  began  business  for  himself, 
and  for  a  period  of  almost  a  half-century 
was  favorably  known  as  a  successful  Long- 
Wharf  merchant.  He  became  interested  in 
California  and  Colorado  mines  in  the  days 
when  railroading  in  that  part  of  the  country 
was  almost  unthought  of,  and  spent  much  of 
his  time  for  two  or  three  years  in  travelling 
over  these  territories.  He  was  a  Democrat 
in  politics.  He  was  at  one  time  clerk  of  old 
Ward  3,  and  served  as  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  1858-59.  He  took  consid- 
erable interest  in  the  Boston  Fire  Department 
in  his  younger  days,  and  was  an  active  mem- 
ber under  Captain  Barnicoat.  He  was  a 
member  of  Columbia  Lodge  of  Masons,  and 
at  one  time  a  prominent  Odd  Fellow.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  old  ' '  Winslow 
Blues,"  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  and  an 
honorary  member  of  the  National  Lancers. 

Mahoney,  James  T.,  harness-maker,  born 
in  Kilworth,  County  Cork,  Ireland,  July  20, 
1843.  ^e  came  to  this  country  with  his 
parents  in  1845,  axl&  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Boston  until  eleven  years  of  age. 
He  was  first  employed  as  errand-boy  in  a 
merchant's  counting-room,  afterward  in  a 
tobacco  store,  and  finally  was  apprenticed  to 
a  harness-maker.  While  learning  his  trade 
the  Rebellion  occurred,  and  he  enlisted  in  the 
First  Massachusetts  Regiment,  serving  until 
the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  where  he  was 
wounded  in  the  head  and  limb.  He  was 
honorably  discharged  for  disability  in  March, 
1863,  and  returned  to  this  city,  where  he 
learned  his  trade.  He  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganized members  of  the  Montgomery  Light 
Guard,  and  in  1875,  '77>  '78>  '8o  represented 
Ward  13  in  the  General  Court,  and 
served  on  the  Committees  on  Prisons,  Tax- 
ation, and  the  Joint  Standing  Committee  on 
Printing. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


373 


Mahoney,  Jeremiah  S.,  book-keeper,  born 
in  Boston,  Dec.  26,  1855.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen years  entered  business.  He  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Shawmut  Rowing  Club  during 
1885-86.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mon Council  from  Ward  13  in  1888,  serv- 
ing on  a  number  of  important  committees. 

Mahoney,  Patrick  F.,  born  in  Boston, 
Feb.  5,  1847.  He  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  this  city.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  be  enlisted  in  Company 
M,  Third  Regiment,  Massachusetts  Heavy 
Artillery,  and  did  creditable  service  during 
the  Rebellion.  He  represented  Ward  6  in 
the  General  Court  of  18S0-81. 

Mahoney,  William  J.,  born  in  Boston  in 
1854.  He  attended  the  Eliot  Grammar 
School,  afterward  worked  at  painting  and 
varnishing  for  five  years,  then  for  A.  Winn 
and  Byam  &  Carleton,  when  he  engaged  in 
the  liquor  business  for  himself,  which  he  has 
been  identified  with  for  the  last  fourteen  or 
fifteen  years.  He  has  been  connected  with 
the  Democratic  Ward  and  City  Committee 
for  nine  years,  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Central  Committee  during  1886-87,  served 
in  the  Common  Council  of  1886,  '87,'  88,  '89, 
for  two  years  president  of  the  Commercial 
Athletic  Club,  and  a  member  of  the  North 
End  Fishing  Club. 

Malone,  Edward,  restaurateur,  born  in 
County  Kilkenny,  Ireland,  April,  1834. 
He  came  to  Boston  in  May,  1849,  and 
attended  the  public  schools.  In  1850  he 
became  employed  by  Nathan  Matthews,  of 
this  city,  for  whom  he  worked  twenty-two 
years,  several  years  of  which  he  had  charge 
of  his  large  real-estate  interests.  In  1872  he 
engaged  in  the  restaurant  business,  and  has 
continued  in  that  line  ever  since.  He  repre- 
sented old  Ward  2  in  the  Common  Council  of 
1868-69.  He  was  connected  with  the  Bos- 
ton Light  Dragoons  for  about  eight  years, 
and  was  also  a  member  of  the  Charitable 
Irish  Society.  He  is  at  present  a  member 
of  the  Royal  Order  of  Good  Fellows. 


Manning,  John  P.1 

Manning,  Patrick  H.,  grocer,  born  in 
Roscommon,  Ireland,  Jan.  27,  1845.  He  is 
at  present  engaged  in  the  grocery  business, 
and  represented  Ward  19  in  the  Legislature 
of  1882-83,  serving  on  the  Committee  on 
State  House. 

Maquire,  John  J.,  hard- wood  finisher,  born 
in  Boston,  Jan.  4,  1850.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  this  city,  and  later 
learned  the  trade  of  a  hard-wood  finisher,  his 
present  occupation.  He  represented  Ward 
13  in  the  Legislature  of  1884. 

Marley,  James  F.,  architectural  metal 
work,  born  in  Ireland,  March  25,  1857. 
He  came  to  this  country  in  i860,  and 
located  in  Boston.  He  attended  the  public 
schools,  Comer's  Commercial  College,  and 
took  a  mechanical-drawing  course  of  two 
years  at  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Tech- 
nology. He  went  into  business  in  1876,  and 
is  at  present  a  member  of  the  firm  of  E. 
Marley  &  Bros.  He  was  secretary  of  the 
Democratic  City  Committee  in  1883,  and  a 
member  of  the  Democratic  State  Central 
Committee  in  1884.  He  served  in  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  1883-84,  and  was  on  the 
Committees  on  Finance,  Public  Institutions, 
and  Inspection  of  Buildings.  He  is  at 
present  secretary  of  the  Shawmut  Rowing 
Club. 

Martin,  John  B.,  merchant,  born  in  South 
Boston,  March  1,  1848.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  this  city.  He  is  a 
manufacturer  of  essences.  In  1872,  '73,  '74 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Common  Council, 
and  in  1875  he  served  in  the  Legislature 
from  old  Ward  7.  He  represented  the  Sixth 
Suffolk  District  in  the  Senate  of  1879-80. 
He  is  at  present  president  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  for  Public  Institutions,  and  a  promi- 
nent Democrat  of  South  Boston,  where  he 
resides.      In   1886  he  was  a  candidate   for 


1  See  Lawyers. 


374 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


Democratic  nomination  to  Congress  in  the 
Fourth  District  Convention,  the  candidates  at 
the  time  being  Messrs.  Martin,  Dacey,  and 
O'Neil.  The  supporters  of  Mr.  Martin  were 
steadfast  till  the  last,  until  it  was  decided  that 
Hon.  P.  A.  Collins  should  succeed  himself. 

McCarthy,  Nicholas  F.,  elected  to  serve 
in  the  Common  Council  of  1889. 

McCauley,  Andrew  P.,  elected  to  serve 
in  the  Common  Council  of  1889. 

McCullough,  Thomas,  painter,  born  in 
Ireland,  June  11,  1840.  He  came  to  this 
country  at  an  early  age.  During  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion  he  was  a  non-commissioned 
officer  in  Company  B,  twenty-second  Massa- 
chusetts Regiment,  and  served  three  years.  He 
participated  in  nineteen  battles  of  the  war,  and 
was  wounded  at  Gettysburg.  He  represented 
"Ward  6  in  the  Legislature  of  1881-82,  and 
served  on  the  Committee  on  Taxation. 

McDonald,  John  W.,  real  estate  and  ex- 
superintendent  of  streets,  born  in  Ireland  in 
1840.  He  came  to  this  country  in  1847.  He 
was  a  graduate  of  the  Brimmer  School.  He 
subsequently  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits, 
and  for  twelve  years  afterwards  was  in  the 
real-estate  business.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Aldermen  in  1884,  and  was 
appointed  Superintendent  of  Streets  of  the 
city  of  Boston  in  the  latter  part  of  1885.  He 
has  been  treasurer  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul 
Society  since  1878,  connected  with  the 
Home  for  Destitute  Children  for  twenty 
years,  vice-president  of  the  Charitable  Irish 
Society,  and  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Union. 

McDonald,  Patrick  F.,  iron  merchant, 
born  in  Boston,  July  10,  1852.  He  grad- 
uated from  the  old  Boylston  School,  Fort 
Hill,  in  1868,  and  afterward  became  em- 
ployed by  Lothrop  &  Co.,  in  the  iron 
business.  In  1877  he  engaged  in  business  for 
himself,  and  at  present  carries  on  a  large 
wholesale  trade  throughout  the  New  Eng- 
land States.     He  was  president  of  St.  James' 


Y.M.T.  Association  for  two  years,  and  repre- 
sented Ward  12  in  the  Common  Council  of 
1877-78  and  in  the  General  Court  of  1881, 
'82,  '83,  serving  on  the  Committees  on  Claims, 
Mercantile  Affairs,  and  Hoosac  Tunnel.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Democratic  City 
Central  Committee  for  nine  years,  and  of  the 
State  Central  Committee  two  years. 

McDonough,  John  H.,  law  student,  born 
in  Portland,  Me.,  March  29,  1857.  His  early 
education  was  received  in  the  public  schools 
of  that  city.  After  coming  to  Boston  he  en- 
gaged in  the  trade  of  watch-making,  which 
he  followed  for  several  years.  Recently  he 
abandoned  his  trade  for  the  purpose  of  study- 
ing law,  and  is  now  located  in  the  office  of 
Hon.  Charles  J.  Noyes.  He  represented 
Ward  20  in  the  General  Court  of  18S6,  '87, 
'88,  '89,  and  served  on  the  committees  on 
Water  Supply  and  Election  Laws  and  Rail- 
roads. He  is  one  of  the  prominent  young 
Democrats  of  Massachusetts,  and  is  one  of 
the  recognized  leaders  of  his  party  in  the 
Legislature.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Boston 
Young  Men's  Congress,  Young  Men's  Catho- 
lic Association  of  Boston  College,  Charitable 
Irish  Society,  Montgomery  Branch  of  Irish 
National  Land  League,  Roxbury  Bachelor 
Club,  and  the  Democratic  State  Committee. 

McEnaney,  Thomas  Owen,  merchant 
tailor,  born  in  East  Boston,  Oct.  23,  1857. 
He  received  his  early  education  at  the 
Adams  School,  of  which  he  is  a  graduate, 
and  supplemented  his  training  at  the  Union 
Business  College  of  this  city.  He  was  first 
employed  as  book-keeper  for  John  G.  Gil- 
bert &  Co.,  afterward  by  Hardy,  Mayhew, 
&  Co.  He  served  as  a  custom  cutter  for  J. 
C.  Littlefield,  on  Beacon  street,  and  finally 
opened  business  on  his  own  account  the 
1st  of  January,  1888.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Common  Council  in  1885-86. 

McEttrick,  Michael  J.,  was  born  in 
Roxbury,  June  22,  1846,  in  the  very  district 
which  he  represents  in  the  Massachusetts 
Legislature,  and  in  the  same  house  that  his 


john   h.  Mcdonough. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


375 


grandfather  lived  in  over  seventy  years  ago. 
His  father,  Matthew  McEttrick,  was  for 
many  years  a  prominent  and  respected  citi- 
zen of  Roxbury,  and  his  mother  was  Mary 
McDonough,  daughter  of  Patrick  McDon- 
ough,  one  of  the  earliest  Irish  settlers  in 
Roxbury,  who  commenced  business  there  in 
1819.  Young  McEttrick  received  his  early 
education  in  our  public  schools,  graduating 
from  the  Washington  Grammar  School  at  the 
early  age  of  eleven  years,  the  youngest  boy 
in  his  class,  and  at  its  head.  In  1857  he 
entered  the  Roxbury  Latin  School,  graduat- 
ing with  honors  therefrom  in  1862.  He 
was  entered  at  the  office  of  Mr.  Charles 
Whitney,  the  City  Engineer  of  Roxbury,  for 
the  purpose  of  becoming  a  civil  engineer. 
Commensurate  with  his  intellectual  growth 
was  his  physical  development.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  he  was  able  to  outstrip  any  of  his 
companions  in  all  field  sports,  and  he  met 
and  vanquished  even  the  athletes  of  his  dis- 
trict in  feats  of  physical  strength  and  endur- 
ance. At  the  age  of  twenty-one  his  strength 
had  increased  by  cultivation  and  natural 
growth  to  such  an  extent,  that  his  remark- 
able feats  began  to  attract  the  attention  of 
the  outside  world.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
in  America  to  establish  the  fact  that  the 
powers  of  endurance  in  man  were  capable 
of  severe  tests;  and,  as  a  youth,  he  bore 
off  the  palm  for  pedestrianism  in  these  parts. 
He  entered  long-distance  walking  matches  in 
the  summer  of  1868,  won  the  championship 
of  America,  and  held  it  against  all  comers  for 
four  years.  He  distinguished  himself  as  a 
thorough-going,  all-round  athlete,  excelling 
in  wrestling,  jumping,  and  field  sports,  so 
that  his  reputation  extended  all  over  the 
country. 

In  the  last  year  of  the  war  he  served  in 
the  army,  and  was  transferred  by  special 
order  of  the  War  Department  to  the  regular 
army,  in  the  corps  of  engineers.  In  the 
spring  of  1884  he  was  elected  to  the  position 
of  assistant  assessor,  receiving  a  unanimous 
vote  in  both  branches  of  the  city  govern- 
ment. In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  was 
nominated  by  the  Democrats  for  representa- 


tive to  the  Legislature  from  Ward  20,  Bos- 
ton. He  received  the  highest  number  of 
votes  ever  accorded  any  man  in  his  district, 
and  has  since  been  four  times  reelected,  each 
time  being  more  strongly  endorsed  than 
before.  Each  year  showed  him  to  be  a 
strong  and  well-equipped  man  for  the  place. 
Alone  and  single-handed  he  has  fought  his 
way  up  to  be  one  of  the  acknowledged 
leaders  in  the  House,  and  one  of  its  foremost 
debaters.  He  has  served  on  some  of  the 
most  important  committees  of  the  House; 
viz.,  Roads  and  Bridges,  Finance,  Expen- 
ditures, Education,  Liquors,  Constitutional 
Amendments,  and  the  Child  Labor  Commit- 
tees. His  work  here  has  been  characterized 
by  thoroughness,  signal  ability,  and  wholly 
in  the  public  interest.  Says  the  Roxbury 
"  Gazette : "  "  The  two  features  of  his  legisla- 
tive experience  which  come  directly  home  to 
the  very  firesides  of  the  district,  to  the  rich 
and  poor  alike,  are  the  passage  of  the 
Franklin  Park  Loan  and  the  Stony  Brook 
bills,  which  conjointly  will  put  over  $3,000,- 
000  into  the  pockets  of  our  laboring  men. 
To  him  was  intrusted  the  charge  of  both 
of  these  measures  in  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives. His  skilful  and  successful  man- 
agement of  the  Stony  Brook  substitute  bill  in 
the  House,  as  well  as  his  eloquent  speech 
upon  the  passage  of  the  Franklin  Park  Loan 
bill,  determined  in  a  high  degree  the  success 
of  these  two  measures,  which  will  eventually 
prove  blessings  to  the  community.  His 
minority  report  on  the  private  school  was 
the  crowning  feature  of  his  legislative  career. 
The  broad  grasp  of  principle  on  constitu- 
tional law,  which  this  report  showed,  and  the 
high  plane  on  which  it  placed  the  whole 
discussion,  soon  attracted  attention  to  the 
man,  and  gave  him  a  reputation  far  beyond 
the  State  lines  of  Massachusetts."  "The 
Pilot,"  commenting  on  the  matter  edito- 
rially, in  its  issue  of  June  2,  1888,  said : 
"Now  that  the  battle  over  the  State  inspec- 
tion of  private  schools  has  ended  in  a  splen- 
did victory  for  the  only  people  whom  the 
measure  really  assailed,  the  Catholics,  it 
would  be   ungrateful  not  to  emphasize  the 


376 


THE  IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


credit  due  to  Representative  Michael  J.  Mc- 
Ettrick.  He  took  up  the  cause  of  the  pri- 
vate schools  at  risk  of  place  and  popularity, 
lie  saw  and  exposed  the  true  nature  of  the 
proposed  enactment.  He  framed  the  proper 
lines  of  resistance  in  his  minority  report. 
He  was  the  only  member  who  discerned  the 
real  intent  and  purport  of  the  bill,  and  had 
the  courage  of  his  convictions.  All  through 
the  legislative  hearings  he  watched  over 
Catholic  interests  with  a  vigilance  and  fidelity 
beyond  praise;  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say 
that  to  him,  more  than  to  any  other  single 
influence,  is  due  the  completeness  of  the  dis- 
graceful defeat  that  has  overtaken  an  unwar- 
ranted and  un-American  attempt  to  invade 
parental  and  citizen  rights.  The  triumph  is 
his  triumph,  and  '  The  Pilot '  tenders  him  its 
hearty  congratulations." 

He  is  a  forceful  speaker,  his  remarks 
always  showing  thought  and  broad  under- 
standing, and  he  frequently  becomes  really 
eloquent.  His  voice  is  large  and  full,  well 
rounded  and  well  controlled,  and  the  ser- 
vices he  has  rendered  his  party  as  a  stump 
speaker  have  been  acknowledged  in  many 
ways. 

McGahey,  Alexander  B.,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, March  30,  1 855.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  this  city.  He  represented 
Ward  7  in  the  Common  Council  of  1878-79, 
and  he  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of 
1881-82,  serving  on  important  committees. 
He  was  nominated  by  the  Independent 
Democrats  four  years  ago ;  was  a  candidate 
for  the  Senate  of  1885  from  the  Third  Suf- 
folk District.  He  was  declared  elected,  but 
his  seat  was  contested  on  the  ground  of  an 
irregularity  at  the  polling-places.  At  the 
special  election  which  was  held  in  March, 
1885,  his  right  to  be  a  member  of  the  Sen- 
ate was  settled  in  his  favor.  He  was  the 
regular  Democratic  nominee  the  following 
year,  and  was  reelected  to  the  Senate  of  1886. 
During  his  two  terms  he  served  on  the  Com- 
mittees on  Federal  Relations  and  on  Street 
Railways.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Democratic  City  Committee  for  several  years. 


McGaragle,  Patrick  F.,  builder  and 
contractor,  born  in  Boston,  Feb.  2,  1845. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools,  and  is  now  engaged  in  business  as 
a  contractor  and  builder.  He  was  connected 
with  the  militia  for  about  seven  years,  a 
member  of  the  Common  Council  of  1878-79, 
and  of  the  General  Court  of  1880-83  from 
Ward  8,  serving  on  the  Committee  on  Hoosac 
Tunnel.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the  City  Hos- 
pital during  1879,  and  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Montgomery  Veteran  Associates. 

McGeough,  James  A.1 

McGowan,  William  S.,  chief  clerk  of  the 
Metropolitan  Steamship  Company,  born  at 
Gardner,  Me.,  December  26,  1826.  His 
father's  name  was  Felix  McGowan,  a  native 
of  Manahamilton,  County  Leitrim,  Ireland. 
His  mother,  Judith  McGowan,  was  born  at 
Northport,  Me.  The  family  settled  in 
Lowell,  Mass.,  in  1837,  where  young  Mc- 
Gowan went  to  school,  and  graduated  from 
the  Lowell  High  School.  He  afterwards 
learned  the  drug  business  in  Boston,  and 
pursued  it  until  1842.  His  public  services 
include  his  appointment  as  Clerk  of  the 
Water  Commissioners,  in  1846,  when  water 
was  introduced  into  Boston  from  Lake 
Cochituate.  He  remained  in  this  position 
until  the  commission  surrendered  their  work 
to  the  city  of  Boston,  in  1848.  Then  his 
services  were  engaged  in  the  counting-room 
of  the  Boston  "  Daily  Advertiser  "  as  clerk, 
under  Nathan  Hale,  Nathan  Hale,  Jr.,  and 
Charles  Hale,  who  were  then  the  proprietors 
and  publishers.  About  1852  he  went  into  the 
drug  trade  on  his  own  account,  and  con- 
tinued this  business  for  six  years.  The  gold 
fever  led  him  to  California,  where  he  stayed 
one  year.  He  returned,  engaged  in  the 
steamship  business,  with  which  he  has  been 
connected  ever  since.  He  was  a  Democratic 
member  of  the  Common  Council  in  1857, 
chairman  of  the  Democratic  Ward  and  City 
Committee  in  1858,  and  the  first  steam  fire- 
engine  ever  used  in  Boston  was  put  in  opera- 

1  See  Lawyers. 


BIO  GRAPHICAL   SKE  TCHES. 


377 


tion  by  the  passage  of  his  order  while  in  the 
Common  Council.  He  was  president  of  the 
Young  Men's  Catholic  Association  in  1854. 
He  has  always  been  prominently  identified 
with  the  various  charitable  undertakings  in 
this  city. 

McGunigle,  James  F.,  born  in  the  County 
Donegal,  Ireland,  and  is  now  in  his  fifty- 
second  year.  His  father,  William,  with  his 
wife  and  son,  immigrated  to  this  country  in 
1S37,  settling  in  Boston,  Mass.  James,  at  an 
early  age,  was  placed  in  attendance  at  the 
public  schools,  continuing  thereat  until  his 
eighteenth  year,  when  he  went  to  work  at  the 
cutler's  trade,  which  he  soon  abandoned  to 
learn  the  trade  of  boot  and  shoe  maker, 
which  he  did  at  East  Stoughton,  Mass.  Here 
he  first  met  his  present  wife,  to  whom  he  was 
married  in  1S55,  by  whom  he  had  four  chil- 
dren before  the  breaking  out  of  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion. 

Upon  the  issue  of  the  call  of  President 
Lincoln  for  seventy-five  thousand  troops, 
April  15,  i86i,the  next  day  Captain  McGuni- 
gle, having  cut  the  proclamation  from  a  news- 
paper, copied  it  upon  a  roll,  went  through  the 
shops  of  the  village  and  secured  the  signatures 
of  twenty-one  Irishmen,  or  those  who  were 
descendants  of  Irishmen,  which  was  the  nu- 
cleus of  Company  K  of  the  Irish  Ninth  Mas- 
sachusetts Infantry  Volunteer  Regiment.  It 
was  the  captain's  desire  to  get  a  company  to- 
gether which  might  go  to  the  front  at  once,  to 
this  end  giving  his  time  and  labor.  Besides 
securing  these  twenty-one  recruits  in  East 
Stoughton,  others  to  the  number  of  sixty-three 
were  secured  in  Stoughton  Centre  and  the 
adjoining  village  of  North  Bridgewater,  with 
which  the  captain  went  to  Boston.  Upon 
reporting  and  offering  their  services  they  were 
informed  that  they  could  not  be  then  placed 
with  any  regiment,  but  to  retain  their  organi- 
zation, return  to  their  several,  towns,  elect  offi- 
cers, and  stand  in  readiness  to  be  called  upon 
at  an  hour's  notice  This  they  did,  the  cap- 
tain being  elected  first  lieutenant,  and  he  only 
of  the  five  officers  chosen  satisfactorily  passed 
and  received  recommendation  for  a  commis- 


sion. His  company  about  two  weeks  subse- 
quently was  ordered  to  report  to  Col.  Thomas 
Cass  at  Long  Island,  Boston  Harbor,  and  was 
designated  as  Company  K  of  the  Irish  Ninth, 
being  recruited  to  one  hundred  and  one  men, 
rank  and  file,  when  it  went  to  the  front  on 
the  24th  of  June,  1861,  landing  at  the  Navy 
Yard  in  Washington  a  few  days  later. 

The  captain's  first  military  experience  was 
with  a  company  in  Williamsburg,  N.Y.,  con- 
nected with  the  Seventy-second    Regiment, 
N.G.,  S.N.Y.,  commanded  by  Colonel  Powers, 
which  he  joined  in  1855,  continuing  with  the 
same  for  about  six  months,  when  he  returned 
to  Massachusetts,  and  became  a  call  member 
of  Capt.  Z.  Bumpa's  company  of  infantry  of 
Braintree,   with   which   he    continued    until 
President   Lincoln's  call,  before  mentioned. 
Captain  McGunigle  received  his  commission, 
as   such,   from    Governor   Andrew,    bearing 
date   the   27th   June,    1862    (the   battle    of 
Gaines's   Mill),  in  place  of  Captain  Carey, 
who  was  killed  in  this  engagement.  The  cap- 
tain participated  in  every  battle,  skirmish,  and 
engagement  of  the  regiment  during  its  term 
of  service  up  to  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania, 
May    12,   1864,  in   which    engagement    he 
received  a  gunshot  wound  in  his  left  breast, 
the  bullet  penetrating  a  silver  watch  carried 
by  him,  and  for  the  time  being  entirely  pros- 
trating and  rendering  him  unfit  for  service 
thereafter.     The  captain  also  received  a  gun- 
shot wound   through  his  collar-bone  at  the 
battle  of  Malvern  Hill,  July  1,  1862,  being 
taken  off  the   field  in  the   same   ambulance 
with  Colonel  Cass  and  Major  Dutton. 

McKenna,  Maurice  J.,  grocer  and  pro- 
vision dealer,  born  in  County  Kerry,  Ireland, 
Dec.  15,  1845.  He  arrived  in  Boston  in 
1857,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was 
educated  in  the  national  schools  of  his  native 
place  and  the  public  schools  of  this  city. 
He  was  first  employed  for  Fleming  &  Has- 
kell, bookbinders,  where  he  learned  the 
trade,  and  later  with  Roberts  Bros.  He 
later  entered  the  grocery  business,  where  he 
has  been  very  successful.  He  has  served 
in  the  Democratic  Ward  and  City  Committee 


378 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


and  in  the  Common  Council  of  1887-S8, 
being  a  member  of  many  important  com- 
mittees. 

McLaughlin,  Daniel,  clerk,  born  in  Ire- 
land in  1847.  He  was  educated  in  his  native 
country,  and  came  to  America  while  a  young 
man.  In  1882-83  he  represented  Ward  7 
in  the  Common  Council,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  of  1885-86,  serving  on  the 
Committees  on  County  Estimates,  Parishes, 
and  Religious  Societies. 

McLaughlin,  Edward  A.1 

McLaughlin,  John  A.,  undertaker,  born 
in  Boston,  Feb.  1,  1853.  He  attended  the 
Eliot  and  Mayhew  Schools,  and  received  a 
five  years'  course  at  Boston  College.  He  is 
by  occupation  an  undertaker,  but  has  been 
employed  by  the  city  of  Boston  as  an  over- 
seer of  the  poor  for  a  few  years,  until  he  was 
elected  to  the  Board  of  Aldermen.  He 
represented  Ward  7  in  the  Common  Council 
of  1881-82,  in  the  General  Court  of  1883- 
84,  serving  on  the  Committee  on  Water 
Supply.  In  1887  he  was  elected  from  the 
Third  District  to  the  Board  of  Aldermen, 
and  was  reelected  to  the  Board  of  1888-89. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Democratic 
Ward  and  City  Committee  for  about  nine 
years,  and  secretary  of  that  organization 
three  years. 

McLaughlin,  Philip  J.,  clerk,  born  in 
Boston,  Feb.  7,  1850.  He  graduated  from 
the  Mayhew  School  in  1866.  After  leaving 
school  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Company,  where  he  is  still 
employed  as  clerk  in  the  superintendent's 
office.  He  served  in  the  Common  Council 
of  1880,  '81,  '88.  He  is  secretary  of  the 
North  End  Fishing  Club,  Lakeman  Boat 
Club,  and  the  Atlantic  Yacht  Club. 

McNamara,  Jeremiah  J.,  born  at  County 
Cork,  Ireland,  March  16,   1842.     He  immi- 

1  See  Lawyers. 


grated  to  Boston,  1852,  and  attended  the 
grammar  schools  until  he  was  seventeen  years 
of  age.  He  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
Navy  in  1861,  and  joined  the  naval  brigade 
at  Fort  Ellsworth,  Alexandria,  Va.  He  was 
there  three  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  was  drafted  into  service  on  the  Mississippi 
flotilla.  He  was  assigned  to  duty  on  the 
gunboat "  Essex,"  Commander  Foote,  and  was 
at  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Henry.  Thirty- 
four  lives  were  lost  on  board  the  "  Essex," 
which  was  blown  to  atoms;  Mr.  McNamara 
was  thrown  into  the  river  by  a  stearr.  explo- 
sion, but  was  rescued.  He  fought  under 
Commodore  Davis  at  Fort  Donelson,  which 
suffered  bombardment,  but  the  enemy  was 
compelled  to  surrender.  He  was  one  of 
eleven  men  who  volunteered  to  spike  a  bat- 
tery of  eleven  heavy  guns  which  were 
placed  in  the  bend  of  the  Mississippi  river. 
They  successfully  spiked  the  guns  at  mid- 
night. He  afterwards  received  a  rating  as 
able  seaman.  He  was  in  the  running  of  the 
blockade  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  and  there 
joined  Admiral  Farragut's  fleet.  On  a  forag- 
ing expedition,  under  Captain  Porter,  they 
met  the  enemy  at  Port  Hudson;  an  engage- 
ment ensued,  which  resulted  favorably  to  the 
Union  troops.  He  can  claim  the  honor  of 
having  been  in  the  naval  engagement  at 
Vicksburg,  in  1862,  the  Red- river  expedi- 
tion, and  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  under 
General  Hooker.  Mr.  McNamara  stayed  at 
Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  until  General  Lee  sur- 
rendered, and  received  an  honorable  dis- 
charge from  the  service.  He  was  a  police 
officer  from  1864  to  1871,  promoted  to  ser- 
geant the  latter  year;  remained  on  the  police 
force  until  1879,  when  he  engaged  in  the 
saloon  business.  He  served  in  the  City 
Council  from  1880  to  1884,  inclusive,  was  on 
many  important  committees,  and  is  a  member 
of  Post  7,  John  A.  Andrew,  G.A.R. 

McNamara,  John,  builder,  born  in  County 
of  Cork,  Ireland,  May  1,  1848.  He  came 
to  this  country  May  7,  1867,  an^  located  in 
Boston.  He  was  educated  in  the  National 
School  of  his  birthplace.     He  first  worked 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


379 


at  his  trade  with  John  L.  Shapleigh,  and 
then  with  Jonas  Fitch,  and  finally  he 
branched  off  for  himself.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  Knights  of  Honor, 
United  Order  of  Friends,  South  Boston 
Yacht  Club,  and  Company  K,  Boston  Light 
Infantry.  In  1SS8  he  represented  Ward  14 
in  the  Common  Council. 

McXelley,  John  E.,  baker,  born  in 
Plymouth,  Me.,  Jan.  23,  1854.  He  received 
a  common-school  education,  and  learned  the 
baker's  trade.  He  became  engaged  in  the 
business  at  the  West  End  some  years  ago 
with  his  brother.  He  represented  Ward  8 
in  the  General  Court  of  1882,  and  was 
elected  on  the  Independent  Democratic 
ticket  in  1884,  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  Com- 
mon Council  caused  by  the  resignation  of 
Francis  P.  Maguire. 

McSorley,  John,  United  States  weigher, 
born  in  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  Jan.  29, 
1836.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  place.  He  immigrated  to  this 
country  in  185 1,  and  settled  in  New  York 
City,  where  he  remained  until  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Rebellion,  when  he  enlisted  in  the 
"  Excelsior  Brigade,"  Seventy-first  Regiment, 
and  served  twenty-five  months.  In  1866  he 
was  appointed  weigher  in  the  Boston  Custom 
House,  his  present  position.  He  has  been 
a  resident  of  Everett,  Mass.,  for  twenty 
years.  He  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as 
commander  of  G.A.R.,  Post  156,  of  that 
town,  and  is  also  a  member  of  Lincoln 
Council  A.  L.  of  H.,  of  which  he  has  been 
treasurer  and  commander. 

Miller,  John,  born  in  Ireland  in  1821. 
He  received  his  early  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  country.  He  immigrated 
to  this  country  about  1847,  and  settled  in 
Boston.  He  first  began  business  as  a  grocer, 
and  in  1850  engaged  in  the  wholesale  and 
retail  liquor  business.  By  careful  business 
application  and  integrity  he  has  accumulated 
a  fortune,  and  ranks  among  the  successful 
business  men   and  large  taxpayers   of   this 


city.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council  of  1865  and  1S66,  and  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  1867  and  1868,  representing  old 
Ward  2,  now  Ward  6.  He  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Democratic  City  Committee  for  a 
number  of  years.  His  present  extensive 
trade  is  carried  on  principally  throughout  the 
United  States  and  Canada.  He  received 
his  son,  William  H.,  into  partnership  in  the 
year  1880,  and  the  business  was  increased 
by  the  latter.  Their  volume  of  business  is 
said  to  reach  $500,000  annually,  including  a 
large  domestic  cigar  trade.  Mr.  John  Miller 
is  practically  retired  from  the  business,  and 
it  is  now  managed  by  his  son. 

Mitchell,  George  F.,  elected  to  serve  in 
the  Common  Council  during  the  year  1889. 

Monahan,  William  H.,  boot  and  shoe 
dealer,  born  in  Roxbury  in  1857.  He 
learned  his  trade  as  an  iron-moulder,  but 
finally  abandoned  the  occupation  to  engage 
in  the  boot  and  shoe  business  in  Roxbury, 
his  present  occupation.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Boston  Fire  Department  for  five 
years,  and  represented  Ward  19  in  the  Legis- 
lature during  1887. 

Mooney,  Thomas,  printer,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, November,  1840.  He  was  educated  in. 
the  public  schools  of  this  city;  afterward 
learned  the  printer's  trade.  He  represented 
Ward  2  in  the  Common  Council  in  1874-75, 
and  in  the  General  Court  of  1876-77. 

Morrissey,  Denis  H.,  chief  clerk  of  the 
Board  of  Assessors,  City  Hall,  was  born  in 
Boston,  July  10,  1851.  He  was  graduated 
from  the  Lawrence  School,  1864.  In  that 
year  he  was  employed  by  the  Adams  Express 
Company,  became  clerk  of  the  money  de-. 
partment,  resigned  the  position  in  1871,  and 
entered  the  auditor's  department,  to  take 
charge  of  the  books  for  the  United  States 
and  Canada  Express  Company.  He  left 
there  May,  1872,  to  act  as  ward  clerk  in  the 
Assessors'  Department  of  this  city.  He  was 
elected  chief  clerk,  Dec.  6,  1873,  by  a  vote 


380 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


of  the  principal  assessors,  to  fill  a  vacancy 
made  by  Frederick  W.  Smith,  who  had  re- 
signed. Mr.  Morrissey  has  been  mentioned 
three  different  times  for  the  position  of  prin- 
cipal assessor.  He  served  two  years  on  the 
late  lamented  Col.  B.  F.  Finan's  staff,  Ninth 
Regiment,  as  paymaster,  and  was  commis- 
sioned by  the  then  lieutenant-governor, 
Thomas  Talbot,  Aug.  13,  1874.  Mr.  Mor- 
rissey resigned  and  received  an  honorable 
discharge  Feb.  25,  1876.  He  served  on 
General  Martin's  staff,  Sept.  17,  1880,  at 
the  two  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary 
of  the  settlement  of  Boston.  He  was  ap- 
pointed a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  1877,  and 
reappointed,  1884.  He  increased  the  mem- 
bership of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society  from 
two  hundred  to  five  hundred  members,  and 
introduced  the  annual  ball,  which  is  a  great 
social  event  of  the  year.  Mr.  Morrissey  is  a 
member  of  many  benevolent  and  social  or- 
ganizations. 

Morrison,  Peter,  grocer,  born  in  Boston, 
Aug.  31,  1853.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  this  vicinity,  and  is  at  present  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business.  He  repre- 
sented Ward  1  in  the  Common  Council  of 
1881,  '82,  '83,  and  in  the  Legislature  of  1884. 

Mulchinock,  John  D.1 

Mulhall,  John  F.  J.,  elected  to  serve  as 
member  in  the  Common  Council  during  the 
year  1889. 

Mullane,  Jeremiah  H.,  born  in  Boston, 
Mass.,  August,  1852.  His  early  studies  were 
made  at  the  Boston  public  schools,  until 
1867.  In  1872  a  copartnership  was  formed 
by  and  between  father  and  son,  which  existed 
until  1879;  then  his  father  died,  leaving 
his  heirs  in  full  possession  of  the  entire 
estate.  Mr.  Mullane  is  a  born  politician. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Common  Council 
from  1877  to  1880.  He  served  in  the  House 
of  Representatives  from  the   year   1880  to 

1  See  Lawyers. 


1883,  inclusive.  While  in  the  Legislature  he 
was  one  of  the  Committee  on  Finance.  This 
was  an  honor  without  precedent,  for  he  was 
the  first  Democrat  who  had  ever  served  on 
that  important  committee.  He  was  Commis- 
sioner on  Public  Service,  1880  to  1885;  elected 
to  the  Board  of  Aldermen;  in  the  latter  year 
he  was  a  Director  of  Public  Institutions, 
1885;  and  on  Jan.  10,  1S87,  elected  to  fill  the 
unexpired  term  of  Joseph  H.  O'Neil,  who 
resigned;  and  on  the  same  day  he  was  elected 
for  three  years,  from  May  1,  1887,  an  execu- 
tive appointment  by  Mayor  O'Brien.  His 
term  of  directorship  will  expire  in  1890.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Boston  Light  Dragoons, 
the  Montgomery  Veteran  Association,  and 
many  other  organizations. 

Mullen,  James  F.,  pork  dealer,  born  in 
South  Boston,  July  2,  1863.  He  graduated 
from  the  Bigelow  Grammar  School  in  1878, 
and  then  engaged  with  his  father  in  the  gro- 
cery and  provision  business,  whom  he  now 
succeeds.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council  of  1887-88,  serving  on  the  Commit- 
tees on  Lamps  and  Treasury  Department; 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Democratic  City 
Central  Committee  and  the  Fourth  District 
Congressional  Association. 

Murphy,  Francis  J.,  dry  goods,  born  in 
Charlestown,  Mass.,  Sept.  22,  1852.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  city.  He  has  been  a  prominent  Demo- 
crat of  the  Bunker  Hill  district  for  several 
years  past.  He  represented  Ward  3  in  the 
Common  Council  of  1SS1,  '82,  '83,  '84,  '85, 
and  in  the  Legislature  of  1 886,  and  in  both 
the  municipal  and  State  legislative  branch  he 
served  on  important  committees. 

Murphy,  James  A.,  contractor,  born  in 
Boston  in  1S57,  and  was  graduated  from  the 
Bigelow  Grammar  School.  In  1873  he  re- 
ceived a  high-school  diploma,  and  then  at- 
tended a  special  course  of  instruction  at 
Comer's  Commercial  College.  Afterwards 
he  became  a  clerk  and  salesman  in  the 
grocery  business  of  Wadleigh,  Spurr,  &  Co., 


JOHN    R.    MURPHY. 


BIO  GRA  PHICAL    SKE  TCHES. 


381 


in  whose  employ  he  continued  until  1884, 
when  he  resigned  to  enter  business  for  him- 
self as  a  contractor. 

Mr.  Murphy  was  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council  from  Ward  13  during  the  years  1882, 
'83,  and  '84,  holding  during  the  latter  year 
positions  on  the  following  committees  :  Claims, 
Harbor,  Public  Parks,  Joint  Rules  and  Or- 
ders, Municipal  Elections,  Council  Rules  and 
Orders.  Mr.  Murphy  has  also  been  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Directors  for  Public  Institu- 
tions. He  has  always  been  a  vigorous  sup- 
porter of  the  Democratic  side  of  the  Council 
Chamber.  During  18S4  Mr.  Murphy  was 
one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Democracy  in  de- 
bate on  the  floor  of  the  Council.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Democratic  City  Com- 
mittee and  of  the  Executive  Committee  since 
1884.  He  is  familiar  with  the  machinery  of 
Boston's  city  government,  and  well  acquainted 
with  the  ordinances  and  the  rules  and  law  of 
procedure.  At  a  special  election  on  Feb.  21, 
1888,  Mr.  Murphy  was  elected  an  alderman 
from  the  Sixth  District,  to  fill  the  place  made 
vacant  by  the  death  of  the  late  Alderman 
William  P.  Carroll.  Mr.  Murphy  has  done 
effective  work  as  alderman  since  then. 

As  a  debater  he  is  forcible  and  aggressive 
when  needs  be,  yet  passive  and  keen  at  every 
turn.  He  is  a  good  tactician,  possessing  many 
resources  and  much  reserve  power. 

Murphy,  John  R.,  fire  commissioner, 
was  born  in  Charlestown,  Mass.,  Aug.  25, 
1856.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Harvard 
Grammar  School,  1869,  and  from  the  Charles- 
town  High  School,  1873.  He  entered  the 
office  of  Silsbee  &  Murphy,  and  engaged  with 
them  in  the  merchandise  brokerage  business, 
until  1875,  when  he  became  connected  with 
the  Boston  "  Pilot,"  of  which  his  brother-in- 
law,  Mr.  John  Boyle  O'Reilly,  is  the  editor  and 
publisher.  Mr.  Murphy  accepted  the  position 
of  business  manager  of  that  newspaper,  and 
was  associated  with  Mr.  O'Reilly  during  ten 
years.  The  ambition  which  prompts  many 
men  to  become  masters  of  their  own  actions 
prompted  Mr.  Murphy  to  establish  a  business 
for  himself.     Accordingly,  he  embarked  in 


newspaper  advertising,  in  which  he  was  suc- 
cessful. In  1886  he  was  appointed  a  fire 
commissioner  by  Mayor  O'Brien,  and  he 
continues  to  hold  that  office.  Mr.  Murphy 
was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives during  three  years,  from  1883-85,  inclu- 
sive, a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Senate 
in  1886.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and  his  public 
speaking  has  won  the  applause  and  favor  of 
his  party,  while  those  who  differ  from  him 
politically  acknowledge  his  ability  as  a  leader 
in  politics  and  a  forcible,  persuasive  speaker 
on  the  platform. 

Murphy,  Patrick  F.,  book-keeper,  born 
in  Boston,  July  25,  1855.  He  attended  the 
Quincy  Grammar  and  English  High  Schools, 
and  is  at  present  connected  with  Murphy  & 
Kennedy,  harness  dealers.  He  represented 
Ward  12  in  the  General  Court  of  1878-79. 

Murphy,  Timothy  A.,  dealer  in  paper  and 
twine,  born  in  Boston  in  1842.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools.  He  is  a 
resident  of  the  Roxbury  district,  and  repre- 
sented Ward  20  in  the  Common  Council  in 
1879-80,  and  was  a  member  of  the  General 
Court  in  1 881. 

Murphy,  William  H.,  men's  furnishing 
and  jewellery,  born  at  Charlestown,  Mass., 
Dec.  18,  1855.  He  studied  at  the  Boston 
public  schools,  and  at  an  early  age  was  en- 
gaged by  the  Boston  Shirt  Company,  where 
he  learned  his  business.  He  is  very  popular 
among  the  residents  of  Ward  3,  who  elected 
him  to  the  Common  Council  in  1885,  '86,  '87, 
'88.  He  has  been  appointed  on  various  im- 
portant committees. 

Murphy,  William  J.,  grocer,  born  in 
Boston,  March  29,  1854.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  of  this  city  until  1867,  when 
he  left  to  learn  the  shoemaker's  trade,  which 
he  followed  till  188 1,  and  was  employed  in 
many  of  the  large  suburban  shoe  factories  at 
various  times. 

In  1882  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business 
at  South  Boston  on  his  own  account,  which 


382 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


he  still  continues  to  transact.  He  represented 
Ward  15  in  the  Common  Council  of  1888, 
serving  on  the  Committee  on  Parks  and 
Markets. 

Murray,  Geo.  F.  H.,  deputy  collector  of 
internal  revenue,  born  on  board  a  Peabody 
packet  ship  (American  vessel)  at  sea,  while 
his  parents  were  coming  from  Australia,  on 
Dec.  12,  1858.  He  attended  the  Boston 
public  schools  and  St.  Charles  College, 
Ellicott  City,  Md.  In  1878  he  returned  to 
Boston,  and  became  employed  by  Endicott 
&  Macomber,  insurance  agents.  He  later 
engaged  with  C.  A.  Richards,  wine  merchant, 
but  after  a  short  period  entered  the  insurance 
business  again,  on  his  own  account.  In  1885 
he  was  appointed  to  his  present  position  as  a 
deputy  collector  of  internal  revenue.  He 
represented  Ward  13  in  the  Common  Council, 
1883,  '84,  '85,  and  was  secretary  of  the  Demo- 
cratic Ward  and  City  Committee  in  1884,  '85, 
'86.  He  is  a  life  member  of  the  Young  Men's 
Catholic  Association  of  Boston  College,  and 
a  member  of  the  Bay  State  Club,  Charitable 
Irish  Society,  Montgomery  "Veteran  Associa- 
tion, Bachelor  Club  of  South  Boston,  John 
Mitchell  Branch,  I.N.L.,  and  Captain  of  Com- 
pany B,  Ninth  Regiment. 

Murray,  Jeremiah  A.,  kitchen-furnish- 
ing goods,  born  in  Boston  in  1843.  He 
attended  the  public  schools,  and  early  in  life 
engaged  as  a  dealer  in  kitchen-furnishing 
goods,  his  present  business.  From  1862  to 
1865  he  served  as  sergeant  in  Light  Battery, 
Eleventh  Massachusetts  Regiment,  in  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  represented  old 
Ward  3  in  the  Common  Council  of  1875-76. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Order  of 
Foresters,  Knights  of  St.  Rose,  and  Dahlgren 
Post  2,  G.A.R. 

Murray,  Richard  J.,  court  officer,  born 
in  Boston,  Nov.  13,  1859.  He  attended  the 
Mayhew  School,  and  after  completing  his 
education  became  employed  as  clerk.  He 
was  later  employed  for  two  years  as  water- 
inspector  for  the  city  of  Boston.     He  was  a 


member  of  the  Democratic  Ward  and  City 
Committee  for  six  years,  and  represented 
Ward  8  in  the  Common  Council  of  1885-86. 
He  was  appointed  an  officer  of  the  Supreme 
Judicial  Court  in  1887,  his  present  position. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Fourth  District  Demo- 
cratic Congressional  Club. 

Naphen,  Henry.1 

Noonan,  Daniel,  printer,  born  in  County 
Limerick,  Ireland,  Feb.  7,  1834.  He  arrived 
in  this  country  at  an  early  age,  and  attended 
the  Boylston  School  of  this  city.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Police  from  November, 
1867,  to  August,  1873.  He  served  in  the 
General  Court  of  1875-76. 

Norris,  Michael  W.,  trader,  born  in 
County  Cork,  Ireland,  in  1855.  He  immi- 
grated to  this  country  in  1 864,  and  settled  in 
Boston.  Pie  graduated  from  the  Boylston 
School,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  went  to  work 
as  messenger  for  the  Western  Union  Tele- 
graph Company.  He  afterward  engaged  as  a 
seaman  on  the  Lakes,  and  for  a  time  was 
employed  at  the  Pittsburg  Lead  Mills.  He 
later  returned  to  this  city,  and  became 
employed  by  Haskell  &  Son,  fish  dealers. 
After  a  brief  visit  to  the  South  in  the  interest 
of  the  fish  business,  he  again  returned  to 
Boston  in  1877,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  represented  Ward  13  in  the  Common 
Council  of  1888-89,  serving  on  a  number  of 
important  committees.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Society  of  Good  Fellows,  A.O.H., 
Charitable  Irish  Society,  American  Society 
Hibernians,  Fourth  Congressional  Club,  and 
the  National  Athletic  Association. 

Nunan,  Thomas  F.,  shipper,  born  in 
South  Boston,  Aug.  29,  1843.  He  graduated 
from  the  Lawrence  School  in  1859,  and 
attended  the  High  School  for  one  year.  In 
i860  he  became  employed  by  Christopher 
Blake,  furniture  manufacturer,  with  whom 
he   remained   for   fourteen  years.     He   is  a 

1  See  Lawyers. 


JOHN     B.    O'BRIEN. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


383 


member  of  the  Irish  American  Club,  City 
Point  Lodge,  Knights  of  Honor,  American 
Hibernians  of  South  Boston,  and  represented 
Ward  15  in  the  Common  Council  of  1886, 
'87,  '88,  '89. 

O'Brien,  Christopher,  born  in  Dublin, 
Ireland,  Nov.  27,  1 839.  He  came  to  this 
country  in  1844,  and  received  his  early  edu- 
cation at  the  Mayhew  School  of  this  city. 
He  became  employed  as  a  laborer  for  a 
time,  and  in  1863  enlisted  in  the  navy,  and 
served  on  board  United  States  steamer  "  Ni- 
agara "  for  three  years  and  six  months.  He 
returned  to  Boston  in  1867,  and  shortly  after- 
ward engaged  in  the  liquor  business,  in  which 
he  has  continued  ever  since.  He  represented 
Ward  6  in  the  Common  Council  of  1887. 
When  quite  a  young  man  he  actively  prac- 
tised athletic  sports,  particularly  in  the  aquatic 
line.  He  rowed  with  George  Faulkner  at 
various  times  from  1858  to  1863,  and  was  an 
active  member  of  the  McClellah,  Commercial, 
and  Boston  Boat  Clubs.  He  is  at  present  a 
member  of  A.O.  Foresters,  John  A.  Andrew 
Post  15,  G.A.R.,  and  the  Kearsarge  Veteran 
Association. 

O'Brien,  James  M.,  elected  to  serve  as  a 
member  of  the  Common  Council  during  the 
year  1889. 

4 

O'Brien,  James  W.1 

O'Brien,  John  B.,  sheriff  of  Suffolk 
County,  State  of  Massachusetts,  born  in  1 844. 
He  attended  the  public  schools  in  this  city.  At 
seventeen  years  of  age  he  entered  the  army 
as  a  private  in  the  Twenty-fourth  Regiment, 
Massachusetts  Volunteers,  and  served  three 
years.  At  the  battle  of  Deep  Run,  Va., 
Aug.  16,  1864,  he  was  severely  wounded,  but 
remained  at  his  post  of  duty  till  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  of  service,  in  October,  1864, 
when  he  received  an  honorable  discharge. 
In  the  year  1865  he  entered  the  sheriffs 
office  as  clerk  and  collector,  and  in  1872  was 

1  See  Lawyers. 


appointed  deputy  sheriff  by  Sheriff  John  M 
Clark.  In  the  year  1883,  Mr.  Clark  wishing 
to  retire  from  the  office  of  sheriff,  Mr. 
O'Brien  received  the  unanimous  support  of 
all  parties,  and  was  elected  Sheriff  of  Suffolk 
County,  which  office  he  has  held  for  nearly 
three  years,  performing  its  duties  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  all  and  with  credit  to  himself. 
On  the  first  day  of  October,  1886,  he  received 
by  acclamation  the  nomination  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  on  October  20,  the  nomina- 
tion by  acclamation  of  the  Democratic 
Convention,  for  sheriff,  for  another  term  of 
three  years. 

Mr.  O'Brien  has  rilled  various  other  places 
of  trust  and  honor  in  the  city.  He  was  su- 
perintendent of  St.  Joseph's  Sunday-school 
for  ten  years,  president  of  St.  Joseph's  Con- 
ference, of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  Society  six 
years,  president  of  St.  Joseph's  Temperance 
Society  five  years,  clerk  of  the  Emigrant 
Savings  Bank  four  years.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  Union  of  Boston,  the  Charita- 
ble Irish  Society,  Massachusetts  Catholic 
Order  of  Foresters,  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  he  is  the  president  of  the  Home 
for  Destitute  Catholic  Children,  on  Harrison 
avenue.  Hon.  John  M.  Clark,  sheriff  of  Suf- 
folk County  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  speaking  of  Mr.  O'Brien  since  his 
election,  said :  "  He  stands  without  a  peer 
in  the  array  of  sheriffs  of  this  Commonwealth, 
in  the  way  of  his  bright  accomplishments  and 
ability." 

The  judges  of  the  court  are  warm  in  com- 
mendation of  his  administration. 


O'Connor,  Dennis,  born  in  County  Cork, 
Ireland,  June,  1840.  He  was  educated  in 
Dublin,  and  graduated  from  the  Normal 
School  of  that  place.  He  was  a  teacher  of 
the  National  Board  of  Education  for  nine 
years.  He  immigrated  to  this  country  in  July, 
1865,  and  located  in  Boston.  He  engaged  in 
the  liquor  business  shortly  after  he  became  a 
resident  here,  and  in  1869  formed  with  his 
brother  the  partnership  of  D.  &  T.  O'Con- 
nor, which  has  since    continued.      He  rep- 


384 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


resented  Ward  8  in  the  Legislature  of  1877- 
79  and  in  the  Common  Council  of  1878. 

O'Connor,  Michael,  contractor,  born  in 
Oranmore,  County  Gal  way,  in  1 83 1.  He 
was  brought  up  with  his  mother's  folks  in 
Kilrush,  County  Clare,  where  he  received 
his  musical  education  under  Bandmaster 
Hurley,  playing  2d  clarinet  in  Father 
Meehan's  band  of  temperance  boys  at  the 
age  of  nine.  Three  years  later  he  and 
Michael  Gamble  played  the  clarinets  in  the 
band,  and  were  a  part  of  the  parade  that 
received  Smith  O'Brien  in  Limerick  on  his 
return  after  his  imprisonment,  July  4,  1848. 
Mr.  O'Connor  came  to  Boston  in  1849,  with 
nothing  but  a  set  of  clarinets  and  a  flute 
as  his  stock  in  trade.  He  was  mustered  into 
the  service  of  the  United  States  as  bandmas- 
ter, Ninth  Regiment,  June  II,  1 861,  to  go  to 
Washington. 

He  served  with  the  Ninth,  and  participated 
in  the  battles  .  of  Mechanicsville,  Hanover 
Court-House,  Gaines's  Mill,  Fair  Oaks,  and 
Malvern  Hill,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Har- 
rison's Landing  by  order  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment in  1862,  with  all  other  bands  in  the 
corps.  After  going  home  he  became  band- 
leader in  the  Naval  Station  in  Boston, 
under  Admirals  Stringham,  Montgomery,  and 
Rodgers,  organizing  the  first  regular  band 
at  that  station. 

Mr.  O'Connor  is  now  in  the  business  of 
general  contracting.  After  the  Ninth  was 
mustered  out,  the  survivors  living  in  Boston 
formed  the  Society  of  the  Old  Ninth,  to  meet 
once  a  year  "  to  fight  the  battles  and  reunions 
over  again,"  and  help  comrades  if  required. 

O'Connor,  Patrick,  grocer,  born  in  Ire- 
land, Oct.  15,  1842.  He  was  educated  in  his 
native  country,  and  came  to  America  in  1857. 
He  settled  in  Boston  upon  his  arrival,  and 
has  remained  here  ever  since.  He  is  at 
present  engaged  in  the  grocery  business.  He 
represented  Ward  2  in  the  Common  Council 
in  1870-71,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  1872. 


O'Connor,  Thomas,  born  in  Cork,  Ire- 
land, May  30,  1849.  He  was  educated  in 
the  National  Schools  of  his  native  place,  and 
came  to  this  country  in  1867.  He  located  in 
Boston,  and  engaged  in  the  liquor  business. 
In  1869  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother,  under  the  firm  name  of  D.  &  T. 
O'Connor,  which  has  since  continued.  He 
represented  Ward  8  in  the  Common  Council 
of  1877,  and  was  chairman  of  the  Demo- 
cratic Ward  Committee  during  1877-78.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  National  Irish  Athletic 
Association,  Montgomery  Club,  Montgomery 
Veteran  Association,  and  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  Massachusetts  Protective 
Liquor  Association. 

O'Donnell,  James,  born  in  County  of 
Donegal,  Ireland,  June  22,  1846.  He  was 
educated  in  the  National  School  of  Carndon- 
nough,  in  Barony  of  Irishowen;  his  teacher 
was  Philip  Doherty.  Mr.  O'Donnell  came 
to  this  country  in  July,  1863.  He  was  first 
employed  as  clerk  by  Philip  O'Donnell,  and 
finally  became  his  partner  in  the  liquor  busi- 
ness in  1876.  He  served  in  the  Common 
Council  of  1876  from  Ward  7,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Committees  on  Bonds  of  City  Offi- 
cers, Bathing,  etc. 

O'Dowd,  Andrew  A.,  clerk  and  account- 
ant, born  in  Cork,  County  of  Cork,  Ireland, 
Jan.  29,  1 85 1.  He  arrived  in  this  country  in 
1856,  and  located  in  Boston.  He  graduated 
from  the  Eliot  Grammar  School  in  1864,  and 
afterwards  attended  the  English  High  School. 
He  was  for  a  time  employed  by  the  Insulated 
Lines  Telegraph  Company,  later  as  clerk  for 
Richards  &  Co.,  and  for  ten  years  clerk  in  the 
office  of  the  Paving  Department.  In  1886 
he  was  appointed  to  his  present  position  as 
clerk  and  accountant  in  the  office  of  the 
Superintendent  of  Bridges.  He  served  in 
the  Common  Council  of  1879-80,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters, 
and  was  director  of  Young  Men's  Catholic 
Association  during  1876,  '77,  '78. 

O'Flynn,  Thomas,  grocer,  born  in  Ire- 
land,   March    1,    1846.     He    was   educated 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKE  TCHES. 


385 


under  the  Board  of  National  Education  in  his 
native  country.  He  immigrated  to  this  coun- 
try when  quite  young,  and  began  business  as 
a  grocer's  clerk  at  seventeen  years  of  age. 
He  worked  at  this  occupation  in  New  York 
City  for  a  time,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the 
same  business  in  this  city.  He  was  elected 
clerk  of  Ward  19  in  1S78,  and  to  the  Common 
Council  for  the  years  1 S83,' '84, '85.  He  has 
for  many  years  been  identified  with  various 
local  benevolent  and  business  organizations 
in  this  city.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in 
the  organization  of  the  Irish  National  Land 
League  of  the  United  States;  was  the  chief 
mover  in  organizing  the  Retail  Grocers'  As- 
sociation of  this  city,  —  the  idea  having  been 
first  suggested  by  him  in  the  "  New  England 
Grocer,"  during  September,  1878.  In  1883 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Democratic 
Ward  and  City  Committee.  During  Gover- 
nor Robinson's  administration  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

O'Grady,  Thomas,  architect,  born  in  Rox- 
bury,  Mass.,  March  27,  1858.  Graduated 
from  the  Comins  Grammar  School  in  1872, 
and  from  the  Roxbury  High  School  in  1875. 
He  was  taught  a  special  course  in  the  depart- 
ment of  architecture  at  the  Massachusetts 
Institute  of  Technology,  under  the  instruction 
of  Prof.  William  R.  Ware,  and  was  gradu- 
ated with  the  class  of  1880.  Later  he  studied 
in  the  office  of  Ware  &  Van  Brunt,  Boston, 
for  two  years,  and  there  received  invaluable 
and  practical  knowledge  of  his  profession. 
He  studied  one  year  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  at 
Charles  Carson's  office,  returned  to  his 
native  city,  and  established  himself  in  the 
architectural  profession.  His  best  skill 
in  design  is  displayed  at  the  Convent  of 
the  Good  Shepherd,  Troy,  N.Y.,  in  a  memo- 
rial granite  and  marble  monument,  erected 
by  the  Redemptorist  priests,  and  now  orna- 
menting their  lot  at  Calvary  Cemetery. 
St.  Anne's  School  of  Industry  and  Reform- 
atory of  the  Good  Shepherd,  Albany,  N.Y.; 
the  new  parochial  residence  in  St.  James' 
parish,  Boston;  and  the  residence  of  S.  M. 
Weld,  at  Wellesley,  Mass., —  are  all  beautiful 


specimens  of  his  ability.  He  was  instructor 
of  architecture  at  the  Massachusetts  Institute 
of  Technology  in  1887-88;  a  member  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Archaeology  and  Bos- 
ton Society  of  Architecture.  He  was  elected 
to  the  School  Board  in  1887,  and  his  tenure 
of  office  will  continue  until  1890.  He  re- 
ceived prize  No.  2  for  the  second  best  design 
in  the  competition  of  architects  for  the  Bos- 
ton Public  Library  building.  The  prize  for 
design  on  the  new  Court  House,  Boston,  was 
awarded  him  from  among  eighty  Boston  con- 
testants. He  is  the  originator  of  a  standard 
periodical,  "  The  Technological  Architectural 
Review;"  the  first  number  appeared  in  1888. 
It  is  issued  monthly,  and  contains  heliotype 
reproductions  of  drawings  by  the  students  of 
the  Institute,  which  are  selected  by  four 
jurors,  of  whom  Mr.  O'Grady  is  one.  The 
published  drawings  are  the  finest  executed  in 
the  school. 

O'Kane,  Joseph,  clerk  of  the  Common 
Council,  born  in  Boston,  Jan.  11,  1847.  He 
attended  the  Boston  Grammar  and  Latin 
Schools,  and  afterwards  went  to  Holy  Cross 
College,  Worcester,  Mass.  He  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  clerk  of  the  Council 
by  Clerk  Washington  P.  Gregg,  October, 
1865.  He  retained  the  position  of  assist- 
ant clerk  for  nineteen  years.  Mr.  Gregg 
resigned  in  1884,  and  Mr.  O'Kane  then  suc- 
ceeded him  to  the  clerkship.  The  succes- 
sive councils  have  unanimously  elected  him 
clerk  since  that  time.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  School  Committee  from  1873  to  1876. 
The  organizations  with  which  he  has  been 
prominently  associated  are  the  Catholic  Ly- 
ceum, of  which  he  was  the  president.  He 
was  president  of  the  Massachusetts  Catholic 
Total  Abstinence  Union  in  1874,  and  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  School  of  the 
Cathedral  of  the  Holy  Cross.  He  has  ad- 
dressed assemblages  on  behalf  of  the  tem- 
perance cause,  to  which  he  strongly  adheres. 

O'Mealey,  John  W.,  druggist,  born  in 
Boston,  June  25,  1861.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools,  and  graduated  from 


386 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


the  Massachusetts  College  of  Pharmacy,  of 
which  institution  he  is  now  a  director.  He 
was  employed  ten  years  for  Kelley  &  Durkee, 
and  is  at  present  with  Heath  &  Co.  He  was 
a  Democratic  member  of  the  Common 
Council  of  1SS6,  and  served  in  the  Legisla- 
ture of  1887  from  Ward  17. 

O'Neil,  Joseph  H.,  of  the  firm  of  M.  F. 
&  J.  H.  O'Neil,  dealers  in  china,  glass,  and 
earthenware,  was  born  in  Fall  River,  March 
23,  1853.  Educated  in  public  schools  of  Bos- 
ton. He  was  a  member  of  the  School  Com- 
mittee in  1874,  '75,  '76,  and  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  from  1878-82,  in- 
clusive, and  in  1884.  He  served  on  the  Com- 
mittees on  Liquor  Laws,  Public  Buildings, 
Street  Railways,  on  Rules  and  Orders,  on  the 
Revision  of  the  Statutes,  and  on  Redisrict- 
ing the  State,  among  others.  In  the  national 
campaign  of  1884  he  ran  against  General 
Collins  for  Congress,  but  was  defeated.  He 
was  a  director  and  president  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  for  Public  Institutions,  and  was 
the  City  Clerk  in  1887-88.  He  was  re-nomi- 
nated and  elected  to  Congress  in  1888, 
from  the  fourth  district.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Democratic  Ward  and  City 
Committee  for  many  years. 

O'Neil,  John  W.,  painter,  born  in  Charles- 
town,  Sept.  21,  1859.  He  graduated  from 
the  Winthrop  Grammar  School,  July,  1S75. 
He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Democratic 
City  Central  Committee  in  1885,  and  repre- 
sented Ward  4  in  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives during  this  year,  serving  on  the 
Committee  on  Election  Laws  He  was  a 
strong  advocate  of  the  Australian  system  of 
balloting.  He  is  a  member  of  the  St. 
Francis  de  Sales  Total  Abstinence  Society. 

O'Riley,  Allen,  furniture  dealer,  born 
at  Shercock,  County  Cavan,  Ireland,  1825. 
Emigrated  from  Ireland  in  1847,  and  came 
to  Boston  in  1849.  He  was  educated  in 
Ireland.  Elected  to  the  City  Council  in 
1865.  He  was  a  member  of  the  City  Coun- 
cil of  Somerville  later.  He  has  retired  from 
business   and  politics.     His  membership  in 


the  Massachusetts  State  Militia,  the  Dragoons, 
covers  a  period  of  sixteen  years. 

Plunkett,  Christopher,  day  inspector, 
Boston  Custom  House,  born  at  Mount 
Bellew,  County  Gal  way,  Ireland,  April  20, 
1S29;  died  at  Medford,  Nov.  25,  1888.  His 
father  and  mother  came  to  this  country  and 
settled  in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1834,  where  his 
father  followed  his  business  as  a  stucco- 
worker.  The  boy  Chris  followed  his  parents 
to  Boston  at  an  early  age,  and  after  three 
years'  private  schooling  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Hudson  &  Smith,  proprietors  of  the 
Maine  "  Telegraph  "  and  superintendents  of 
the  Merchants'  Exchange  News  Room,  where 
he  stayed  a  number  of  years.  When  Hugh 
Downing,  of  Philadelphia,  introduced  the 
magnetic  telegraph  between  New  York  and 
Boston,  he  offered  young  Plunkett  a  position, 
which  he  accepted,  and  remained  in  for 
some  time.  After  1847,  when  Irish  immi- 
gration was  very  heavy,  he  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Irish  Emigrant  Society, 
which  was  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  and 
protecting  newly  arrived  immigrants.  He 
served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  di- 
rectors for  some  years.  Captain  Plunkett 
served  the  State  creditably  in  the  militia  as 
a  lieutenant  in  the  Shields  Artillery,  Capt. 
Edward  Young,  one  of  the  Irish-American 
companies  which  was  disbanded  by  the 
Know-Nothing  Governor,  Henry  J.  Gardiner. 
At  the  time  of  the  attack  on  Fort  Sumter,  in 
April,  1861,  Captain  Plunkett  held  a  lucra- 
tive position  in  the  city  of  Boston.  On 
the  first  call  to  arms  he  relinquished  his 
position  and  threw  all  his  energies  into  the 
recruiting  and  assisting  in  organizing  the 
Ninth  Massachusetts  Regiment.  He  raised 
his  company,  and  was  elected  captain  of 
Company  B,  Otis  Guards,  April  29,  1861, 
and  commissioned  by  Governor  Andrew, 
May  2,  1 86 1,  and  went  to  the  front  with  the 
regiment.  But  a  difference  having  arisen 
between  the  captain  and  colonel,  it  cul- 
minated in  the  resignation  of  the  former, 
only  to  return  again  in  a  short  time  as  an 
enlisted  man.     He  was  rapidly  promoted  to 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


387 


second  and  first  lieutenant,  and  performed 
staff  officer's  duty  at  brigade  headquarters, 
and  during  the  first  battle  of  Fredericksburg, 
in  December,  1862,  while  running  orders  in 
front  of  Marye's  Heights  to  the  brigade  to  ad- 
vance at  double-quick,  he  had  his  horse  shot 
dead  under  him,  and  received  a  slight  wound 
in  the  left  leg.  In  1863  he  was  one  of  three 
officers,  with  eighteen  men,  detailed  on  de- 
tached duty  to  proceed  to  Long  Island,  Bos- 
ton Harbor,  for  recruits  to  fill  up  the  reduced 
ranks  of  the  regiment,  where  he  stayed  eight 
weeks,  when  he  asked  to  be  relieved  and 
sent  back  to  his  regiment. 

Captain  Plunkett  participated  in  all  the 
battles  with  his  regiment,  from  Antietam  to 
the  battle  of  North  Anna  river,  on  the  twenty- 
third  day  of  May,  1864,  in  which  battle  he  had 
his  right  arm  shot  off  by  a  twelve-pound 
solid  shot.  He  also  received  a  bad  wound 
in  the  left  side.  The  same  shot  killed  two 
of  his  men,  Privates  Kelly  and  Sheehan. 
This  was  within  eighteen  days  of  the  expira- 
tion of  the  term  of  service  of  the  regiment. 
When  the  regiment  was  mustered  out  on 
Boston  Common  he  was  in  the  Mansion 
House  Hospital,  Alexandria,  Va.  In  1866, 
Gen.  Darius  N.  Couch,  who  was  then 
collector  of  the  port  of  Boston,  appointed 
Captain  Plunkett  a  day  inspector  in  the 
Boston  Custom  House,  which  position  he 
held  until  his  death. 


Powers,  Edward  J.,  printer,  born  in 
Boston  in  1859.  He  attended  the  Lawrence 
and  Bigelow  Grammar  Schools,  and  is  at 
present  engaged  as  a  job  printer.  He  repre- 
sented Ward  14  in  the  Common  Council  of 
1886,  '87,  '88,  serving  on  the  Committees  on 
Common,  Public  Library,  Badges,  Fourth  of 
July,  Assessors'  Department,  Department  of 
Survey  and  Inspection  of  Buildings.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society, 
St.  Vincent  de  Paul  Society,  Park  Square 
Club,  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association, 
Winthrop  Council  538  R.A.,  and  was  con- 
nected with  Company  K.,  Ninth  Regiment, 
in  1879. 


Quigley,  Charles  F.,  leather  manufact- 
urer, born  in  St.  John,  N.B.,  Jan.  1,  1855. 
He  located  in  Cambridgeport,  Mass.,  in 
1868,  and  attended  the  public  schools. 
About  1S69  he  learned  his  trade  as  a  currier, 
and  has  followed  the  different  branches  of 
the  business  ever  since,  and  is  at  present  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Quigley  &  Mc- 
Donough,  leather  manufacturers,  Chelsea, 
Mass.  He  represented  Ward  2  in  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  18S1,  '82,  '83. 

Quigley,  Edward  L.,  insurance,  born  in 
East  Boston,  Feb.  17,  1859.  He  attended 
the  Adams  Grammar  School,  and  became 
employed  in  the  insurance  office  of  C.  W. 
Holden  in  February,  1872,  where  he  has 
had  a  business  connection  ever  since.  He 
represented  Ward  5  in  the  Common  Council 
of  1885-86.  In  addition  to  his  insurance 
office  in  Boston  he  has  another  one  in 
Charlestown.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Young  Men's  Catholic  Association  of  Boston 
College. 

Quigley,  James  L.,  finisher,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, Sept.  8,  1848,  where  he  has  always 
resided.  He  was  educated  in  the  Mayhew 
and  Eliot  Grammar  Schools  of  this  city. 
He  is  by  trade  a  furniture  finisher,  and  has 
been  quite  prominent  in  local  politics.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Ward 
and  City  Committee  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  was  an  assistant  assessor  in  1876,  and 
represented  Ward  6  in  the  Legislature  of 
1877,  '78,  '79,  '80,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Senate  of  1 881. 

Quinn,  Denis  J.,  clerk,  born  in  Boston,  on 
Old  Fort  Hill,  June  2,  1861.  He  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Quincy  Grammar  School.  He 
has  been  in  the  employ  of  Messrs.  Carter, 
Rice,  &  Co.  for  the  past  five  years.  Mr. 
Quinn  has  been  prominently  identified  in 
Ward  12  politics  for  several  years,  and  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature  for  1888.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Ward 
and  City  Committee. 


388 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


Quinn,  Patrick  H.,  elected  to  serve  as  a 
member  of  the  Common  Council  for  the 
year  1889. 

Quinn,  Philip  H.,  clerk,  born  in  Boston, 
March  11,  1859.  He  attended  the  old  Boyl- 
ston,  and  afterward  the  Quincy  School,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1872,  and  also  grad- 
uated from  the  English  High  School  in 
1875.  He  then  became  engaged  with  his 
father,  Capt.  John  Quinn,  in  the  stevedore 
business,  which  he  still  continues.  He  rep- 
resented Ward  12  in  the  General  Court  of 
1886,  '87,  '88,  and  served  on  the  Committees 
on  Taxation,  Harbors,  and  Public  Lands. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Ward  12  Oak  Club, 
composed  of  prominent  Irish-Americans. 

Reade,  John,  real  estate  and  under- 
taker, born  in  Kilkenny,  Ireland,  Dec.  1, 
1824.  He  immigrated  to  this  country  May 
1,  1846.  He  lived  two  years  at  Blackstone, 
Mass.,  and  twenty  years  at  Milford,  Mass., 
when  he  became  a  permanent  resident  of 
Charlestown.  During  the  war  he  served  as 
first  lieutenant  in  the  Fifty-seventh  Massa- 
chusetts Regiment,  and  was  in  active  service 
three  and  a  half  years,  participating  in  all 
the  battles  fought  from  the  Wilderness 
through  to  Petersburg.  He  was  captured 
at  the  blowing  up  of  the  mine,  and  impris- 
oned for  ten  months  and  seven  days  at 
Columbus,  S.C.  He  was  afterward  brevetted 
captain  by  Andrew  Johnson  for  meritorious 
services.  He  represented  Charlestown  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  1880,  '81,  and 
'82,  serving  on  the  Committees  on  Street 
Railroads  and  Parishes  and  Religious  Socie- 
ties. He  is  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  a  member 
of  Post  11,  G.A.R.,  Union  Veterans  No.  3, 
Charitable  Irish  Society,  Montgomery  Light 
Guard  Veteran  Association,  and  Ancient  Or- 
der of  Hibernians.  He  is  engaged  in  the 
real-estate  business,  and  is  also  an  under- 
taker in  Charlestown. 

Reardon,  Peter  J.,  marble-cutter,  born 
in  Boston,  Dec.  17,  1859.  He  was  a  graduate 
of  the  Bigelow  School.  He  was  also  a  promi- 
nent  member  of  St.  Augustine's   Lyceum. 


He  represented   Ward    15   in   the   General 
Court  of  1886. 

Reilly,  Edward  F.,  clerk,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, Oct.  8,  1853.  He  removed  to  Charles- 
town in  1859,  and  attended  the  old  Harvard 
and  High  Schools,  from  both  of  which  he 
graduated.  He  was  first  employed  by 
Parker  &  Dupee  in  the  wool  business,  and  is 
at  present  with  Nichols,  Dupee,  &  Co.  He 
assisted  in  organizing  St.  Mary's  Young 
Men's  Temperance  Society  in  1876,  and  was 
vice-president  the  second  year  of  its  exist- 
ence. He  has  taken  an  active  interest  in 
politics  for  twelve  years  past,  was  secretary 
of  the  Democratic  City  Committee  of  1887- 
88,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council  of  1886,  '87,  '88. 

Reynolds,  John  P.1 

Roach,  Richard,  grocer,  born  in  Fer- 
moy,  County  Cork,  Ireland,  June,  1838.  He 
was  educated  in  the  National  School  of  his 
native  town.  He  is  at  present  engaged  as 
a  dealer  in  groceries  and  liquors  in  Boston. 
He  represented  Ward  7  in  the  Common 
Council  of  1S77-78  and  in  the  Legislature 
of  1879. 

Robinson,  Nathaniel  G.,  sheriffs  clerk, 
born  in  Boston,  March  18,  1856.  He  at- 
tended the  Phillips  Grammar  School,  from 
which  he  was  a  graduate.  At  fifteen  years 
of  age  he  became  employed  at  the  book- 
binder's trade,  and  served  two  years  and  four 
months  at  the  business,  with  Ira  Bradley  & 
Co.  In  August,  1873,  he  obtained  employ- 
ment as  conductor  on  the  Metropolitan  Rail- 
road, where  he  remained  for  about  a  year. 
He  subsequently  returned  to  the  book- 
binding trade,  and  was  actively  engaged  in 
that  line  until  1883,  when  he  accepted  bis 
present  position  as  clerk  in  the  office  of  the 
sheriff  of  Suffolk  County.  He  was  elected 
from  Ward  8  as  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council  of  1889. 

Rogan,  Edward  A.,  steam  and  gas  fitter, 
born  in  Boston,  Jan.  12,  1849.     He  attended 

1  See  Lawyers. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


389 


the  public  schools  of  this  city,  and  after 
leaving  school  learned  the  trade  of  a  steam 
and  gas  fitter.  He  represented  Ward  7  in 
the  Common  Council  of  1885-86. 

Rogers,  Abraham  T.,  assistant  inspector 
of  buildings,  born  in  Roxbury,  July  30,  1 85 1 . 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
at  French's  Commercial  College.  He  first 
became  employed  by  his  father  in  the  real- 
estate  business,  where  he  continued  for  some 
time.  He  represented  Ward  22  in  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  1880-81,  and  until  July, 
1S82,  when  he  resigned  as  a  member  of  that 
body  to  accept  his  present  position  as  assist- 
ant inspector  of  buildings.  He  was  at  one 
time  connected  with  Company  C,  Ninth  Reg- 
iment, and  is  at  present  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Society  of  Good  Fellows. 

Rogers,  Patrick  H.,  real  estate,  born 
in  County  Louth,  Ireland,  July  25,  181 3. 
He  immigrated  to  St.  John,  N.B.,  when  about 
twelve  years  of  age,  where  he  attended  the 
public  schools.  When  about  twenty-nine 
years  old  he  came  to  Roxbury,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  He  learned  his  trade  as  a 
carpenter  early  in  life,  which  he  continued 
for  many  years,  until  he  extended  his  busi- 
ness as  a  builder  and  real-estate  dealer. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Roxbury  Common 
Council  of  1858,  '59,  '63,  '65,  '67,  and  repre- 
sented old  Ward  15,  Boston,  in  the  same 
body  in  1870.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Rox- 
bury Charitable  Society. 

Santry,  John  P.,  plumber,  born  in  Bos- 
ton, April  9,  1852.  He  graduated  from  the 
Boylston  Grammar  School  and  went  to  learn 
the  plumber's  trade  at  fifteen  years  of  age, 
and  worked  at  it  until  1876,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  business  for  himself,  and  he  has 
been  very  successful.  He  served  in  the 
Common  Council  in  1878,  is  a  member  of 
the  Democratic  Ward  and  City  Committee 
and  Finance  Committee,  and  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  for 
Public  Institutions  in  1883.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society,  the  Central 
Club,  and  the  Orpheus  Club. 


Scollans,  William,  cattle-dealer,  born 
in  Newton,  Mass.,  Aug.  1,  1835.  When 
quite  young  he  removed  to  Brighton,  where 
he  attended  the  public  schools.  He  has 
been  engaged  slaughtering  and  selling  cattle 
since  he  left  school.  He  served  in  the  Com- 
mon Council  from  Ward  25  during  1886, 
and  was  on  the  Committees  of  Sewers  and 
Bridges. 

Shea.,  John  B.,  book-keeper  and  real- 
estate  agent,  born  in  Boston,  Aug.  15,  1851. 
He  was  educated  in  the  Boylston  and  Latin 
Schools  of  this  city.  He  represented  Ward 
13  in  the  Legislature  of  1878. 

Shea,  John  F.1 

Sheerin,  John  B.,  clothing  salesman,  born 
in  Boston,  Feb.  22,  1849.  He  attended  the 
Mayhew  School  of  this  city,  and  is  at  present 
engaged  in  the  clothing  business.  He  rep- 
resented Ward  6  in  the  Legislature  of  1882. 
He  was  elected  a  visiting  agent  for  the 
Board  of  Overseers  of  the  Poor,  and  has 
been  almost  constantly  engaged  in  assisting 
various  Catholic  charitable  undertakings  and 
relief  bureaus  throughout  the  city. 

Short,  John  C,  tradesman,  was  born  in 
Boston,  of  Irish  parents,  Nov.  27,  i860. 
Eight  years  ago  young  Short  was  bending 
over  his  work  at  manual  labor,  —  a  carpet- 
color  mixer,  —  performing  his  daily  duties  for 
a  rich  corporation,  the  Roxbury  Carpet  Com- 
pany, and  there  receiving  his  rudimentary 
and  beneficial  experience  of  the  woes  and 
wants  of  his  co-workers.  Thence  he  engaged 
in  the  service  of  the  Metropolitan  Railroad 
Company,  of  Boston,  for  whom  he  was  to 
legislate  some  time  later.  His  schooling  was 
first  received  in  the  Boston  public  schools  and 
the  grammar  schools  in  New  York,  Rutger's 
College,  New  York,  at  which  he  graduated 
in  1875.  His  mind,  then  piously  inclined, 
prompted  him  to  test  his  vocation  for  the 
priestly  calling,  consequently  he  entered  the 

iSee  Lawyers. 


890 


THE   IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


seminary  of  Our  Lady  of  Angels,  Suspension 
Bridge,  Niagara,  N.Y.,  but  was  obliged  to 
leave  there  at  the  end  of  two  years  to  return 
to  the  death-bed  of  his  father.  Mr.  Short 
has  been  actively  engaged  in  ameliorating 
the  condition  of  his  associate  workmen,  and 
extending  his  natural  abilities  towards  the 
improvement  of  those  who  engage  in  the 
various  occupations  of  manual  labor.  Mr. 
Short  was  a  member  of  the  Common  Council 
in  1887,  and  his  intelligent  service  on  the 
important  committees  to  which  he  had  been 
assigned  won  him  the  confidence  of  the 
public.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Aldermen  in  1 887,'88,'89,  and  is  now 
accomplishing  good  work.  Alderman  Short 
is  the  son  of  James  and  Mary  F.  Short.  His 
father  was  a  member  of  the  Roxbury  Com- 
mon Council,  and  a  well-to-do  manufacturer  of 
carpets.  The  elder  Short  was  superintendent 
of  John  Crosby's  carpet  factory,  in  Bridge- 
port, Conn.,  and  afterwards  superintendent 
of  the  New  Brunswick  Carpet  Company, 
of  New  Jersey,  of  which  he  became  a 
partner.  Alderman  Short  has  been  the 
honored  recipient  of  many  tokens  of  esteem 
and  regard  from  the  Boston  workingmen, 
whose  cause  he  has  always  espoused.  He 
was  presented  with  a  gold  watch  and  chain 
by  them  on  Feb.  18,  1887,  and  $400  in 
money,  and  his  portrait  in  crayon  at  a 
ball  which  they  gave  in  his  honor.  He 
also  received  $200  from  them  at  another 
time.  He  is  the  worthy  foreman  of  the 
State  Assembly  of  Massachusetts  Knights  of 
Labor,  and  he  has  remained  a  consistent  friend 
to  the  men  who  have  intrusted  to  his  ability 
their  interests.  He  was  nominated  by  Major 
O'Brien  a  director  of  the  Workingmen's 
Loan  Association,  of  which  Robert  Treat 
Paine  is  the  president. 

Spillane,  Timothy  B.,  carpenter,  born 
in  Ireland  in  1849.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  when  quite  young,  and  received  his 
early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Amesbury,  Mass.,  and  completed  his  school 
training  at  a  later  period  in  the  public  schools 
of  Boston.     He  was  at  one  time  a  member 


of  the  old  Seventh  Regiment,  M.V.M.,  and 
served  in  the  Legislature  from  Ward  16  in 
1879. 

Splaine,  Henry,  stable-keeper,  born  in 
Ireland,  Aug.  6,  1837.  He  was  enrolled  as 
a  member  of  Company  E,  Seventeenth 
Regiment,  at  Haverhill,  in  1 86 1,  and  subse- 
quently elected  lieutenant  and  then  colonel 
of  the  regiment.  He  was  mustered  out  of 
service  Aug.  19,  1865.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  General  Court,  from  Ward  2,  in  1872-73. 

Stack,  James  H.,  born  in  Boston,  Aug.  6, 

1855.  He  attended  the  Boylston  Grammar 
School,  which  he  left  in  1867  to  learn  the 
printer's  trade.  From  1867  to  1879  he  was 
employed  by  Rockwell  &  Churchill,  when  he 
engaged  in  the  liquor  business  for  himself, 
and  now  represents  real  and  personal  prop- 
erty to  the  amount  of  $50,000.  He  served 
in  the  Common  Council  of  1882;  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Montgomery  Veteran  Association 
and  Charitable  Irish  Society. 

Sullivan,  Benjamin  J.,  post-office  super- 
intendent,   born  in   East  Boston,   Jan.    12, 

1856.  He  attended  the  public  schools,  and 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  became  employed  in  a 
dry-goods  store,  where  he  worked  three 
years.  He  then  learned  wood-carving  and 
upholstering,  and  was  engaged  in  the  latter 
trade  for  eleven  years.  He  represented 
Ward  2  in  the  Common  Council  of  1886. 
He  has  been  identified  with  the  Democracy 
of  East  Boston  for  several  years,  and  was 
recently  appointed  superintendent  of  the 
post-office  for  that  district,  his  present 
position. 

Sullivan,  James,  stable-keeper,  born  in 
Kerry,  Ireland,  in  1844.  He  was  educated 
in  the  Boston  public  schools,  having  come 
to  this  city  when  quite  young.  During  the 
war  he  served  in  one  of  the  Massachusetts 
regiments,  and  is  a  member  of  the  G.A.R. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Charitable  Irish 
Society  and  the  Foresters.  He  was  elected 
to  the  House  of  Representatives  of  1886-87, 
from  Ward  13. 


BIO  GRAPHICAL    SKE  TCHES. 


391 


Sullivan,  James  II.,  elected  to  serve  as 
a  member  of  the  Common  Council  during 
the  year  1889. 

Sullivan,  John  H.,  stevedore,  born  in 
Ireland  in  1S4S.  He  was  educated  in  the 
National  Schools  of  his  birthplace.  He  ran 
away  from  home  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
to  go  to  sea,  and  arrived  in  America  in  1867. 
Later  he  was  an  inspector  of  East  India 
merchandise  in  East  Boston.  He  finally  be- 
came stevedore  in  charge  of  the  National,  Do- 
minion, Warren,  and  Leland  Steamship  Line 
docks.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council  of  1SS4-85,  Board  of  Aldermen  of 
1 886-8 7,  and  the  Massachusetts  Senate  of 
1888. 

Sullivan,  Michael,  born  in  London, 
England,  April  10,  1837.  He  emigrated 
when  very  young,  and  settled  in  this  city, 
where  he  was  educated  at  the  public  schools- 
He  represented  Ward  5  in  the  Legislature  of 
1876. 

Sullivan,  Richard.1 

Sullivan,  Thomas  F.,  cigar  manufact- 
urer, born  in  Fitchville,  Conn.,  March  22, 
1862.  He  removed  to  New  Hartford  at  an 
early  age,  where  his  parents  still  reside.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  of  the  latter 
place,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  engaged  in  the 
milk  business  with  his  father.  In  1879  went 
into  the  grocery  business  at  South  Boston, 
which  he  continued  till  188 1.  Later  he 
accepted  a  position  as  travelling  salesman  for 
Allen  &  Woodworth,  and  remained  with  them 
for  three  years.  In  1884  he  entered  the 
firm  of  McCormick  &  Sullivan,  as  manufact- 
urers of  cigars.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  of  1887,  from  South  Boston. 

Sweeney,  Daniel  J.,  printer,  born  in 
Boston,  Jan.  25,  1834.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  this  city,  and  after- 
ward learned  the  printer's  trade.      He  was 

1  See  Lawyers. 


employed  by  Rockwell  &  Churchill  for  sev- 
eral years,  and  represented  Ward  1  in  the 
Common  Council  of  1863,  '64,  '67,  '79,  '80, 
and  in  the  Legislature  of  1874-75.  He  has 
been  employed  as  keeper  of  the  city  tombs 
during  recent  years. 

Sweeney,  Thomas  E.,  artist  and  in- 
structor, born  in  North  Abington,  Mass.,  Aug. 
31,  1864.  He  graduated  from  the  North  Ab- 
ington High  School  and  Massachusetts  State 
Normal  Art  School,  and  supplemented  his 
art  studies  in  Paris.  At  the  Normal  School 
he  stood  first  in  his  class  on  mechanical 
drawing,  modelling  in  clay,  and  free-hand 
drawing,  and  was  engaged  as  instructor  at 
the  school  at  which  he  graduated,  a  position 
which  he  still  retains.  He  is  also  engaged 
as  a  teacher  of  mechanical  drawing  at  the 
East  Boston  Evening  Drawing-School,  and 
as  teacher  of  monumental  drawing  at  the 
Evening  Drawing-School  of  Quincy,  Mass. 
He  has  resided  in  Boston  since  1884,  and 
during  his  business  experience  has  executed 
many  creditable  works  of  art  in  different 
departments. 

Taylor,  William,  was  born  of  Irish  parents 
in  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  April  15,  1831, 
and  received  a  good  common-school  educa- 
tion. A  taste  of  sea  life  on  fishing-trips 
woke  the  sailor  instinct  in  him.  School- 
books  and  slate  went  overboard,  and  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  tried  his  luck  as  a  stowa- 
way. Once  he  was  found  and  put  ashore  in 
a  wild  country,  with  a  three  days'  tramp 
through  heavy  snows  between  himself  and 
home.  The  next  attempt  landed  him  at 
Figueira,  in  Portugal.  During  the  next  twelve 
or  fifteen  years  he  sailed  in  every  quarter  of 
the  globe,  varying  the  monotony  of  the  sea 
by  ventures,  not  altogether  unrewarded,  in  the 
gold  mines  of  Australia  and  California.  In 
the  forecastle  he  saw  tyranny  and  cruelty 
enough  to  make  him  forever  unwilling  to 
trust  any  man  to  the  unchecked  and  irre- 
sponsible power  of  another,  and  it  is  inter- 
esting to  Irace  in  the  statute  books  of  the 
State  of  Massachusetts  the  effect  of  this  ex- 


392 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


perience  on  Mr.  Taylor's  career  as  a  legislator. 
Before  he  abandoned  the  sea  he  rose  to  the 
rank  of  captain.  Mr.  Taylor  settled  in  Bos- 
ton in  1859.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mon Council  in  1870  and  1871,  and  again  in 
1S76;  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  House 
of  Representatives  in  1872-73,  and  of  the 
Senate  in  1879-80.  While  on  the  Committee 
on  Federal  Relations  in  the  House  he  pre- 
sented a  resolution  requesting  Congress  to 
legislate  for  the  more  effectual  security  of  the 
rights  of  seamen  in  cases  of  shipwreck  or 
freight  losses;  and  though  opposed  by  the 
rest  of  the  committee,  the  measure  was  car- 
ried by  both  House  and  Senate,  and  was  in- 
fluential in  changing  the  maritime  law  of  the 
nation.  Mr.  Taylor  stood  with  the  minority 
of  the  same  committee  in  opposing  the  vote 
of  censure  passed  on  Charles  Sumner  in  1873. 

In  the  Senate  he  served  with  credit  on  the 
Committees  on  Fisheries  and  Harbors;  orig- 
inated the  appeal,  which  has  since  been  an- 
nually repeated,  for  manhood  suffrage,  and 
which  effected  the  reduction  of  the  suffrage 
qualification  to  one  dollar  instead  of  two; 
proposed  a  modification  of  the  alien  laws, 
tending  to  avoid  expense  and  prevent  fraud, 
which  was  rejected;  secured  the  enactment 
of  legislation  compelling  private  detectives 
to  be  licensed;  was  selected  by  the  special 
committee  of  1S79  on  contract  convict  labor 
to  draft  a  bill  for  a  reformatory,  and  embodied 
in  this  bill  some  of  the  most  important  of  the 
humane  ideas  of  prison  reform  then  first 
coming  into  public  notice.  Mr.  Taylor's  work 
in  this  connection  attracted  wide  attention, 
and  resulted  in  the  passage,  in  1883,  of  the 
present  law,  which  is  a  slight  modification  of 
the  bill  originally  reported  by  him. 

He  was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Demo- 
cratic Convention  in  1881.  In  1883  Mr. 
Taylor  was  appointed  on  the  health  com- 
mission. To  his  energetic  administration  of 
his  share  of  this  office  is  largely  due  the  very 
noticeable  improvement  in  the  sanitary  con- 
dition of  the  city  during  the  last  six  years. 

Teevens,  John  J.,  born  in  Darrlheyk, 
County  Leitrim,  Ireland,  Nov.  II,  1844.    He 


received  his  early  education  at  the  National 
Schools  in  Ireland,  and  emigrated,  July  12, 
i860,  locating  in  Boston.  In  1S60  he  en- 
gaged to  learn  the  trade  of  coppersmith  with 
A.  B.  &  S.  H.  Loring,  where  he  was  employed 
for  fifteen  years.  In  1875  he  entered  into  the 
liquor  business  for  himself  at  South  Boston, 
and  now  represents  real  estate  to  the  amount 
of  about  $40,000.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Common  Council  of  1887,  '88,  '89,  serving  on 
the  Committees  on  Printing,  Public  Library, 
Ordinance,  and  Judiciary.  He  is  a  member 
of  a  number  of  Irish  societies. 

Tobin,  Richard  F.,  fire  commissioner, 
born  in  Boston,  Nov.  20,  1844.  He  was  a 
pupil  of  the  public  schools,  and  was  appren- 
ticed at  sixteen  years  of  age  to  Lyman,  Kins- 
ley, &  Co.,  iron  moulders.  He  entered  the 
service  of  the  United  States  sloop-of-war 
"Preble  "in  1862,  and  after  the  destruction 
of  that  vessel  he  was  transferred  to  the 
frigate  "  Potomac."  He  rendered  creditable 
service  under  Admiral  Farragut  in  the  West 
Gulf  squadron.  He  has  served  in  the  Cam- 
bridge City  Council,  and  was  assistant  engi- 
neer of  the  Cambridge  fire  department,  and 
a  Democratic  member  from  Boston  of  the 
State  Legislature,  where  he  distinguished  him- 
self by  championing  the  "  Soldiers'  Exemption 
Bill."  He  has  been  a  member  of  different 
posts  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
and  he  became  a  member  of  Post  30,  at  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.,  and  was  elected  senior  vice- 
commander  and  afterwards  commander.  He 
is  now  a  member  of  Post  2,  at  South  Boston. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Council  of  Adminis- 
tration, Department  of  Massachusetts;  junior 
vice  department  commander;  and  was  unan- 
imously elected  senior  vice-commander,  De- 
partment of  Massachusetts,  G.A.R.  Mr. 
Tobin  learned  the  iron  business,  and  he  was 
appointed  the  superintendent  of  the  Wal- 
worth Manufacturing  Company's  extensive 
iron  works  at  South  Boston.  He  was  ap- 
pointed a  fire  commissioner  by  Mayor  O'Brien 
in  April,  1877,  on  account  of  his  fitness  for 
the  place,  as  well  as  in  recognition  of  his  ser- 
vices as  a  fireman  and  practical  master  of  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


393 


technique  of  the  depai-tment.  His  appoint- 
ment satisfied  many  of  our  citizens,  and  sur- 
prised Commissioner  Tobin,  who  had  never 
solicited  the  office. 

Toland,  Hugh  J.,  superintendent  of 
lamps,  born  in  Boston,  Sept.  i,  1844.  He 
graduated  from  the  Lawrence  Grammar 
School  in  1859,  and  from  Boston  English 
High  School  with  the  class  of  1862.  He 
devoted  three  years  to  private  study  of  the 
classics  and  modern  languages;  was  taught 
the  trade  of  watchmaker  by  his  father,  Mr. 
John  Toland,  with  whom  he  remained  in  that 
business  until  1872.  He  became  actively  en- 
gaged in  politics,  and  he  has  filled  many 
honorable  positions  in  the  service  of  the  State 
and  City  governments.  In  1869  he  was 
.  elected  to  membership  on  the  Boston  School 
Board.  He  was  an  assistant  assessor  from 
1870-76;  a  Democratic  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  1871-75,  inclusive ; 
a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  State  Senate 
from  1874-75,  inclusive;  a  first  assistant  as- 
sessor in  1876;  and  a  member  of  Governor's 
Council  in  1877. 

He  was  the  sealer  of  weights  and  measures 
from  1 8  79-83,  inclusive,  and  the  superintend- 
ent of  lamps  from  1885-89.  He  effected  a 
change  in  the  settlement  laws  while  in  the 
Legislature,  whereby  the  right  of  settlement 
was  granted  to  those  persons  who  would  pay 
taxes  for  three  successive  years,  instead  of 
for  five  years,  as  required  by  the  old  law. 
The  painting  of  the  building  and  the 
gilding  of  the  dome  of  the  State  House  in 
1874  was  due  to  Mr.  Toland's  persistent 
efforts,  at  an  expense  of  $30,000.  He 
was  appointed  on  the  Committee  of  In- 
vestigation, whose  duties  consisted  of  learn- 
ing the  manner  in  which  the  money  was 
spent.  He  was  the  chairman  of  the  House 
Committee  on  Ventilation  in  1875,  and  the 
attorney-general  complimented  him  for  the 
economical  outlay  which  he  had  regulated  on 
behalf  of  the  State.  In  1876  was  the  prin- 
cipal in  the  management  of  the  campaign  of 
Benjamin  Dean,  who  was  elected  by  twenty- 
five  votes;  the  Prince  campaign  in  1877; 


the  Butler  campaign  in  1S7S  and  1882.  In 
1878  General  Butler  suffered  defeat;  but  in 
1882  he  was  successfully  elected  by  a  majority 
vote  of  13,000. 

Tracy,  Thomas  F.,  cigar-maker,  born  in 
Boston,  May  20,  186 1.  He  graduated  from 
the  Quincy  Grammar  School  in  1877.  He 
was  first  employed  for  Shepard,  Norwell,  & 
Co.,  where  he  remained  for  three  years,  and 
then  left  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  cigar-maker, 
his  present  business.  He  served  in  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  1887-88  from  Ward  12,  and 
was  on  the  Committees  on  City  Hospital, 
Cambridge  Bridge,  Queen  Kapiolani's  Re- 
ception, City  Hospital,  Joint  Contingent 
Expenses,  and  Health  Department.  To  him 
is  due  the  credit  of  first  introducing  the 
Saturday  half-holiday  order.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Cigar-Makers'  Union. 

Walsh,  John  H.,  hotel -keeper,  born  in 
Kilsheelan,  near  Clonmel,  Tipperary,  Ireland, 
Nov.  28,  1842;  died  at  Brighton,  Mass.,  Sept. 
3,  1888.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  place,  and  early  in  life  took  an 
active  part  in  the  Fenian  movement.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  a  circle  in  the 
town  in  which  he  lived,  and  took  such  a 
prominent  part,  that  in  1865  he  was  com- 
pelled to  flee  from  home  to  save  his  life. 
During  that  year  he  came  to  this  country, 
and  located  in  Boston,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  liquor  business.  In  1874-75  he  repre- 
sented old  Ward  5  in  the  Common  Council. 
About  1876  he  became  a  resident  of  Brigh- 
ton, and  established  the  Centennial  House, 
Allston,  the  same  year.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Democratic  City  Committee  for  several 
years,  and  the  State  Central  Committee  one 
year.  He  was  a  stanch  Democrat  in  politics, 
independent  in  action,  but  with  the  utmost 
honesty  of  purpose.  He  was  always  identi- 
fied with  Irish  affairs,  and  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Irish  Athletic  Club  of 
Boston. 

Walsh,  John  L.1 

1  See  Lawyers. 


394 


THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON 


Walsh,  Matthew,  assistant  inspector  of 
buildings,  born  in  County  Kilkenny,  Ire- 
land, June  20,  1836.  He  immigrated  to 
Quebec  in  1845,  but  remained  only  a  few 
weeks,  and  then  came  to  Boston,  where  he 
has  since  been  located.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  until  about  thirteen  years  of 
age.  In  1851  he  served  his  apprenticeship 
as  a  plumber,  which  trade  he  was  engaged 
in  for  a  number  of  years.  He  served  as 
sergeant  in  Company  A  of  the  Fifth  Massa- 
chusetts Regiment  during  the  war.  After 
returning  from  the  battle-field  he  resumed 
his  employment  as  a  journeyman  plumber, 
and  for  a  time  was  engaged  in  business  on 
his  own  account.  In  1883  he  was  appointed 
to  his  present  position  as  inspector  of  build- 
ings. He  was  a  member  of  the  Charlestown 
Common  Council  of  1867,  and  of  the  same 
body  in  Boston  during  1880,  '81,  '82.  He 
is  a  member  of  Post  1 1 ,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic. 

Ward,  John  P.  J.1 

Welch,  William  J.,  district  superin- 
tendent Water  Department,  City  Hall,  was 
born  in  Boston  in  1848,  and  attended  the 
public  schools.  He  was  early  engaged  in 
the  newspaper  and  periodical  business  at 
the  Merchants'  Exchange,  and  solely  by  his 
own  exertions  and  industry  he  has  accumu- 
lated a  respectable  fortune.  In  1879  Mr. 
Welch  was  elected  to  the  Common  Council  of 
1880,  and  also  served  in  the  Councils  of  1881- 
82.  He  served  on  several  important  com- 
mittees, notably  the  Committees  on  Finance, 
Police,  and  Assessors'  Department.  He  was 
elected  an  alderman  in  1882  on  the  Demo- 
cratic and  Citizens'  tickets,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Board  in  1885. 

Whall,  William  B.  F.1 

White,  James,  tailor,  born  in  County 
Limerick,  Ireland,  Jan.  20,  1831.  He  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education.     He  is 

1See  Lawyers. 


by  occupation  a  tailor,  and  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Charlestown  for  many  years.  On 
May  26,  1865,  he  was  commissioned  captain 
of  the  Jackson  Guard,  Company  G,  Ninth 
Regiment,  M.V.M.,  which  was  formed  at  that 
time.  During  the  last  two  years  that  Charles- 
town was  a  separate  city,  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Charlestown  Common  Council.  He 
also  represented  Ward  3  in  the  Legislature  of 
1881-82,  and  served  on  the  Committee  on 
Liquor  Law. 

Members  of  Common  Council. 

Amory,  Jonathan,  1822,  '23. 

Amory,  Thomas  Coffin,  1836,  '37,  '38, 

'39,  '40,  '41,  '42. 

Barry,  Edward  W.,  1874. 

Barry,  John  H.,  1857,  '58. 

Barry,  Patrick,  1875. 

Barry,  William,  1822,  '24,  '25,  '26,  '27. 

Bean,  Nicholas  J.,  1865. 

Boies,  Jeremiah,  1825,  '26. 

Brady,  Hugh  E.,  1884,  '85,  '86. 

Brennan,  Thomas,  1871,  '72,  '73. 

Buckley,  Joseph,  1855,  '56,  '62,  '63. 

Cannon,  John,  1879. 

Carney,  Michael  (Ward  7),  1867. 

Carr,  Daniel,  Jr.,  1861. 

Carroll,  Joseph  PL,  1886. 

Cassidy,  Patrick  L.,  1883,  '84,  '85. 

Cawley,  Dennis,  Jr.,  1866,  '67,  '74. 

Cochran,  Samuel  J.,  1886. 

Coleman,  Jeremiah  F.,  1887. 

Collins,  Patrick,  1872,  '73. 

Connell,  Joseph  P.,  1881,  '82,  '84. 

Connor,  Christopher  A.,  1866,  '67. 

Coyle,  George  J.,  1875. 

Coyle,  Patrick,  1886,  '87,  '88. 

Cronin,  Patrick  H.,  1880,  '81. 

Crowley,  James  K.,  1869,  '74. 

Cullen,  Bernard,  1862,  '63. 

Dacey,  James  F.,  1874. 

Dacey,  John,  i860,  '61. 

Daly,  James  F.,  1881,  '82. 

Daly,  William  A.,  1885. 

Devine,  James,  1870,  '71,  '72,  '79,  'So. 

Doherty,  Cornelius,  1859,  '60. 

Doherty,  Cornelius  F.,  1879,  '80,  '81, 
'83. 


BIO  GRAPHICAL   SKE  TCHES. 


395 


Doherty,  John,  ist,  1879,  '80,  '81. 
Doherty,  Thomas,  1869,  '70. 
Doherty,  Thomas  H.,  1873. 
Dolan,  Bartholomew,  1872. 
Dolan,  Thomas,  1S68,  '70,  '71. 
Donnelly,  Eugene  C,  1870. 
Driscoll,  Michael  J.,  1868. 
Duggan,  John  A.,  1875,  '77. 
Duggan,  Thomas  J.,  1886. 
English,  William,  1885,  '86. 
Fagan,  James,  1877. 
Fallon,  John  C,  1861,  '62. 
Fennelly,  Robert,  1825. 
Finnerty,  Edward,  1883,  '84. 
Fitzpatrick,  Thomas  J.,  1875,  '76. 
Flynn,  Dennis  A.,  1877,  '87. 
Flynn,  James  J.,  1865,  '66,  '68,  '69,  '71, 

'72,  '73,  '74,  '75,  '76,  '77,  '83- 
Flynn,  John  F.,  1865,  '66. 
Folan,  Martin  T.,  1880,  '81,  '85,  '86,  '89. 
Ford,  William  C,  1850,  '57,  '58,  '59. 
Ford,  William  H.,  1881,  '82. 
Fox,  James  W.,  1876. 
Foye,  John  W.,  1871. 
Furlong,  Nicholas,  1879. 
Gallagher,  John,  1885,  '86. 
Giblin,  John  H.,  1870. 
Gogin,  Thomas,  1864,  '67. 
Good,  John,  1882. 
Green,  Thomas  H.,  1884. 
Hanigan,  Jeremiah,  1875. 
Hayes,  John  T.,  1879. 
Hennessey,  Edward,  1849,  '50. 
Hickey,  Thomas  H.,  1886. 
Horgan,  Dennis  A.,  1884,  '85. 
Houghton,  Michael  J.,  1882,  '83. 
Hughes,  Francis  M.,  1872,  '73. 
Jackson,  Patrick  T ,  1822. 
Jackson,  Patrick  T.,  1864. 
Keaney,  Matthew,  1862,  '63,  '64,  '68,  '69. 
Kelley,  John  (Ward  6),  1877,  '78. 
Kelley,  Michael,  1873. 
Kelley,  Roger  J.,  1879. 
Kilduff,  William  J.,  1884. 
Killion,  Michael  J.,  1882,  '8^. 
Lappen,  James  A.,  1875,  '76. 
Leahy,  John,  i860. 
Logan,  Patrick  F.,  1863. 
Loughlin,  James  W.,  1877. 


Mackin,  William,  1884. 
Madden,  Hugh  A.,  1866. 
Madden,  John,  1873. 
Maguire,  Francis  P.,  1883,  '84. 
Mahan,  John  W.,  1873. 
McCarthy,  Charles  J.,  1859,  '60,  '61, 
'62,  '64. 
McCarty,  Michael  H.,  1874. 
McClusky,  James  F.,  1877. 
McCormick,  Martin  S.,  1881. 
McCue,  Robert,  1873. 
McDevitt,  Robert,  1871. 
McGilvray,  David  F.,  1856,  '57. 
McKenney,  William,  1873. 
McNary,  William  S.,  1886. 
Miller,  William  H.,  1885. 
Minon,  Michael  G.,  1868. 
Moley,  Patrick,  1874,  '75. 
Mooney  Thomas  (Ward  3),  1859. 
Mooney,  William,  1864,  '65. 
Mullane,  Jeremiah  M.,  1869,  '71,  '72. 
Murphy,  Cornelius,  1861,  '62. 
Murphy,  James  F.,  1885. 
Murphy,  John,  1886. 
Murphy,  John  J.,  1870. 
Nugent,  James  H.,  1877. 
O'Brien,  Christopher,  1886. 
O'Brien,  Francis,  1879. 
O'Brien,  John,  1870,  '71. 
O'Brien,  John  P.,  1883. 
O'Donnell,  Edward,  1877. 
O'Donnell,  Philip,  1861,  '62,  '63. 
Power,  Richard,  1875. 
Quinn,  John,  1870. 
Reagan,  William  J.,  1884,  '85,  '86. 
Richards,  William  R.,  1886. 
Riddle,  Patrick  E.,  1885. 
Riley,  James,  1859,  '60,  '61,  '62. 
Ryan,  Edward,  1862,  '63. 
Ryan,  Joseph  T.,  1868,  '69,  '70,  '71. 
Slattery,  John  A.,  1879. 
Sweeney,  Daniel  J.,  2d,  1880. 
Taylor,  William,  1870,  '71,  '76. 
Taylor,  William,  Jr.,  1884,  '85,  '86. 
Teevan,  James,  1881,  '82. 
Tucker,  John  C,  1858,  '59,  '60,  '61,  '62, 

'63,  '67. 
Wells,  Michael  F.,  1862,  '63,  '64,  '67, 

'68,  '69,  '70,  '73- 


BUSINESS    AFFAIRS 


AND 


MEN    OF    BUSINESS. 


BUSINESS  AFFAIRS  AND  MEN  OF  BUSINESS. 


THE  geographical  position  of  Boston  makes  it  one  of  the  most 
important  commercial  cities  in  the  United  States,  and,  as  the 
metropolis  of  New  England,  it  commands  the  immense  volume  of 
trade  of  the  Eastern  States. 

The  almost  fabulous  growth  of  our  industries,  and  the  ex- 
tent of  our  import  and  export  trade,  have  won  the  admiration  of 
the  world.  The  Old  World  steadily  receives  our  products,  and  there 
is  an  encouraging  increase  of  exported  articles  each  year.  Boston  is 
also  the  great  distributing  point  whence  the  merchandise  of  the  East 
is  shipped  to  every  section  of  the  continent.  The  abundant  capital 
at  the  disposal  of  its  citizens  places  it  in  the  front  rank  of  the  lead- 
ing industrial  cities  in  the  country.  The  position  of  the  Irish  race,  as 
projectors  and  promoters  of  the  diversified  business  enterprises  and 
important  factors  in  the  present  development  of  trade  and  manufact- 
ures, is  progressive.  The  early  Irish  settlers  of  whom  there  is  any 
record  seem  to  have  engaged  in  the  paper  and  chocolate  industries. 
Such  men  as  John  Cogan,  James  Boies,  John  Hannan,  and  Jeremiah 
Smith,  for  instance,  were  among  the  most  able  and  prominent  busi- 
ness men  of  early  times.  About  Cogan  much  might  be  written. 
To  Mr.  John  B.  Reagan,  of  Dorchester,  Mass.,  we  are  indebted  for 
the  discovery  of  Cogan's  Celtic  origin,  and  the  following  sketch  of 
his  work  in  Boston,  which  appeared  in  "  The  Boston  Herald  "  of  May 
23,  1889,  is  interesting:  — 

(399) 


400  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON. 


JOHN   COGAN,  THE  MAN  WHO   OPENED   THE  FIRST 

STORE   IN  BOSTON. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  "  Herald:  "  — 

Among  those  who  came  over  in  the  so-called  Winthrop  fleet,  composed  of 
"  people  from  all  parts,"  were  several  merchants  from  the  maritime  ports  of  Ireland, 
of  whom  John  Cogan  was  one.  He  first  went  to  Dorchester,  and  had  land  allotted 
him  there  in  1630.  The  keen  and  far-seeing  eye  of  the  man  of  business  quickly 
discovered  that  Boston  was  destined  to  be  the  location  for  men  of  his  stamp,  and  he 
moved  there  in  1632.  He,  in  company  with  Winthrop,  Bellingham,  Coddington, 
and  others,  laid  the  foundation  of  what  is  to-day  the  city  of  Boston.  He  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Winthrop  in  1633  a  commissioner  to  select  the  lands  that 
were  best  adapted  for  agricultural  purposes,  that  the  colonists  might  not  waste  their 
energies  in  planting  on  land  not  adapted  for  their  crop.  He  was  one  of  the  board 
of  selectmen  the  first  year  of  its  existence,  was  one  of  the  first  to  join  the  church, 
and  so  much  was  he  esteemed  by  Rev.  Mr.  Wilson,  the  pastor  of  the  first  church  in 
Boston,  that  Cogan  was  often  consulted  by  him  on  worldly  affairs.  The  lot  on  the 
north-east  corner  of  State  and  Washington  streets  he  purchased  of  Rev.  Mr.  Wilson, 
and  erected  a  building  on  it;  and  on  this  spot,  March 4,  1634,  John  Cogan  from 
Ireland  opened  the  first  store  in  the  town  of  Boston.  To  him  belongs  the  honor  of 
being  the  father  of  Boston  merchants.  He  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the 
Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Company.  The  name  of  Mr.  Cogan  is  insepa- 
rably connected  with  the  interests  and  progress  of  the  first  twenty-five  years  of 
Boston's  existence.  He  was  the  owner  of  a  great  deal  of  real  estate  in  the  city  and 
surrounding  towns.  Among  his  property  was  the  lot  corner  of  Beacon  and  Tremont 
streets,  known  in  our  day  as  the  Pavilion  and  Albion  Hotel  lot.  It  was  322  feet  on 
Beacon  street  and  76  feet  on  Tremont  street.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Cogan  it 
became  the  residence  successively  of  Joshua  Scotto,  Colonel  Shrimpton,  and  Rev. 
Mr.  Oxenbridge,  and  was  considered  at  that  time  one  of  the  most  desirable  resi- 
dences in  Boston.  Mr.  Cogan's  next-door  neighbor  on  the  north,  toward  Pem- 
berton  square,  was  Governor  Bellingham.  This  Bellingham  lot  became  famous 
afterward  as  the  homestead  of  the  Faneuils.  The  Faneuils  came  to  Boston  in  1691, 
and  were  obliged  to  give  bonds  to  the  town  that  they  would  not  become  a  public 
charge.  When  Peter  Faneuil  died,  in  1742,  this  property  was  appraised  at  the  then 
enormous  sum  of  .£12,375,  so  that  this  locality  must  have  been  one  of  Boston's 
favored  spots  as  a  residence.  In  1651  Mr.  Cogan  was  married  to  Martha,  the 
widow  of  Gov.  John  Winthrop,  Governor  Endicott  performing  the  marriage 
ceremony.  Among  Mr.  Cogan's  donations  to  Harvard  College  was  175  acres  of 
land  in  Chelsea.  He  was  very  wealthy  for  the  times  he  lived  in.  Among  his  prop- 
erty was  one  farm  in  Chelsea,  valued  at  .£450,  beside  other  parcels  in  that  locality. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  401 

He  had  mills  in  Charlestown  and  in  Maiden,  also  500  acres  of  land  in  Woburn,  and 
two  stores  in  Boston,  with  other  property  beside  his  residence.  All  in  all,  he  was 
one  of  Boston's  chief  pillars,  both  in  Church  and  State.  He  died  in  Boston,  April 
27,  1658.  J.   B.   R. 

Dorchester,  May  23,  1889. 

PAPER-MILLS    IN    MILTON. 
EARLY   IRISH    SETTLERS   IN   MASSACHUSETTS. 

Recent  articles  on  the  early  paper  industry  of  this  country  have 
excited  the  curiosity  of  many  of  our  older  citizens,  who  have  re- 
freshed their  memory  by  tracing  up  the  early  history  of  some  of  the 
founders  of  the  paper-mills.  From  records  which  have  been  ap- 
proved by  the  writers  of  history,  a  Dorchester  (Mass.)  citizen  has 
compiled  the  following  story  of  the  paper  industry  on  the  Neponset 
river :  — 

On  Sept.  13,  1 728,  the  Massachusetts  General  Court  passed  an  act 
granting  the  exclusive  privilege  to  make  paper  in  this  province  for  a 
term  of  ten  years  to  some  Boston  merchants.  Among  them  were 
Thomas  Hancock  and  Benjamin  Faneuil.  A  fine  of  twenty  shillings 
was  imposed  on  every  ream  manufactured  by  anybody  else.  These 
gentlemen  leased  a  building  at  what  is  now  Milton  Lower  Mills. 
Henry  Deering  acted  as  agent  and  superintendent.  These  gentlemen 
carried  on  the  business  until  1737,  when  it  came  under  the  superin- 
tendency  of  Jeremiah  Smith,  who  had  some  years  previously  arrived 
from  Ireland. 

In  1 741  he  was  enabled  to  purchase  the  mill  from  the  heirs  of  Rev. 
Joseph  Belcher,  of  Dedham,  with  seven  acres  of  land  lying  on  both 
sides  of  the  Neponset  river,  and  bounded  by  the  public  landing  and 
also  the  county  road.  Mr.  Smith  continued  to  carry  on  the  business 
until  1775,  when,  having  accumulated  a  fortune,  he  sold  out  to  his 
son-in-law,  Daniel  Vose,  and  retired  from  active  business.  If  to  Mr. 
Smith  belongs  the  credit  of  being  the  first  individual  paper  manu- 
facturer, to  others  of  his  countrymen  is  due  the  fact  that  the 
Neponset  river  was  made  the  basis  of  paper  manufacturing  in  the 
North  American  colonies,  which,  in  a  measure,  lasts  to  this  day. 


402  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

About  1744,  Capt.  James  Boies,  who  had  been  acting  as  super- 
cargo on  vessels  sailing  from  Galway  and  Bristol,  settled  in  Dorchester, 
and  built  mills  and  manufactured  paper.  In  1771  he  took  into 
partnership  his  son-in-law,  Hugh  McLean,  and  they  became  the 
owners  of  several  paper-mills  and  slitting-mills  on  the  Neponset 
river. 

About  1795,  a  young  man  from  New  Jersey  named  Mark 
Hollingsworth  was  given  employment  in  one  of  these  mills,  and  after 
the  deaths  of  Boies  and  McLean  he,  in  company  with  Edward 
Tileston,  became  possessed  of  the  mills  and  water  privileges.  The 
descendants  of  Messrs.  Tileston  and  Hollingsworth  carry  on  the 
business  to  this  day  in  the  same  locality. 

Jeremiah  Smith,  Hugh  McLean,  and  James  Boies  may  be  said 
to  be  the  founders  and  early  promoters  of  the  paper  industry  of 
Dorchester  and  Milton. 

In  the  biographical  sketches  we  have  touched  upon  the  business 
records  of  other  men  who  were  eminently  among  the  solid  men  of 
the  city  in  early  times.  The  fact  that  the  prominence  of  their  descend- 
ants in  business  life  does  not  stand  out  so  boldly  to-day  is  due  to 
the  blending  of  the  Irish  blood  of  the  fathers  with  that  of  other 
nationalities.  The  Irish-American  business  men  of  our  generation  in 
Boston  are  progressing  steadily  towards  the  highest  positions  of 
profit  in  the  commercial  and  mercantile  world.  The  relative  posi- 
tions between  the  Boston  business  men  of  Irish  birth  and  descent 
and  those  of  principal  Western  cities  is  very  large,  varying  in  point  of 
wealth  many  millions  of  dollars.  We  have  no  Mackay,  Flood,  or 
other  bonanza  kings.  The  wealthy  New  York  Irish-American 
capitalist  has  no  peer  in  Boston.     We  are  yet  but  sowers. 

A  prominent  citizen  of  Boston  asked  Gen.  Benjamin  F.  Butler 
not  long  since  why  it  was  that  the  Irish  citizens  of  Boston  had  not 
made  more  visible  progress  among  the  leading  manufacturers  and 
merchants  of  the  city.  The  general  replied  that  the  Irish,  in  this 
respect,  were  like  a  young,  sturdy,  and  growing  wood,  encompassed 
and  overshadowed  by  a  larger  one  of  full  growth,  and  that  in  course 
of  time  the  young  wood  swells  to  such  proportions  as  to  force  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  403 

old  wood  down,  and  burst  into  full  view ;  which  seems  to  be  a  very- 
unique  explanation  of  the  difficulty.  It  would  involve  much  time 
and  space  to  narrate  the  business  success  of  the  individual.  Much 
can  be  learned  from  the  biographical  sketches  in  this  book.  That 
the  Irish  have  contributed  to  the  material  advancement  and  pros- 
perity of  Boston,  and  given  to  it  much  of  its  industrial  prominence, 
is  a  fact  unquestionable. 

THE  UNION  INSTITUTION  FOR  SAVINGS. 

When  the  Rev.  John  McElroy,  S.J.,  was  building  the  Church 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception  and  Boston  College  on  Harrison 
avenue,  it  required  a  large  expenditure  of  money,  and  he  found  it 
very  difficult  to  obtain  loans  from  the  savings-banks  of  this  city,  as 
they  were  prejudiced  against  such  loans,  and  there  was  a  possibility 
that  the  work  would  have  to  stop  for  want  of  means. 

Associated  with  Father  McElroy  there  were  a  number  of  lay- 
men, who  were  anxious  for  the  financial  prosperity  and  success  of" 
the  church  and  college,  among  the  most  active  of  whom  were 
Joseph  A.  Laforme,  Francis  McLaughlin,  John  C.  Crowley,  Hugh- 
O'Brien,  Geo.  F.  Emery,  and  Hugh  Carey,  and  the  question  was, 
asked,  Why  not  start  a  savings-bank  that  would  be  managed  with 
more  liberality,  enable  the  large  and  increasing  Catholic  population 
to  build  their  churches,  asylums,  and  institutions  of  learning,,  and. 
also  to  encourage  men  of  small  means  to  build  dwellings?  They 
were  aware  of  the  fact  that  considerable  money  was  lying  idle,  and 
that  it  only  required  a  little  effort  to  induce  people  to  place  their 
surplus  earnings  under  the  control  of  such  a  management,  and,  after 
consideration,  it  was  determined  to  ask  the  Legislature  for  a  charter. 

This  idea  was  strongly  encouraged  by  the  Right  Rev.  John  B. 
Fitzpatrick,  by  the  Very  Rev.  J.  J.  Williams,  V.G.,1  by  the  Rev. 
Father  McElroy,  and  other  well-known  clergymen  and  laymen ;  but 
it  was  believed  at  the  time  if  Catholics  alone  applied  for  a  charter, 
that  it  was  doubtful  if  the  Legislature  would  grant  it,  on  account  of 

1  The  present  Archbishop  of  Boston,  who  has  ever  been  a  stanch  friend  of  the  bank. 


404  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

existing  prejudices.  To  overcome  this  prejudice,  the  cooperation 
of  outside  parties  was  asked,  and,  with  the  combined  influence  of 
such  leading  citizens  as  Moses  B.  Williams,  Wm.  I.  Bowditch,  R.  S. 
S.  Andros,  Joshua  D.  Ball,  Thomas  J.  Lee,  Wm.  H.  Thorndike,  and 
Robert  H.  Waters,  the  General  Court  was  petitioned  for  a  charter  to 
the  Union  Institution  for  Savings  in  the  city  of  Boston,  which  was 
granted  to  Moses  B.  Williams,  Patrick  Donahoe,  John  C.  Crowley, 
and  their  associates.  The  act  of  incorporation  was  signed  and 
approved  by  Gov.  John  A.  Andrew,  Feb.  8,  1865. 

The  first  president  was  John  C.  Crowley,  and  treasurer,  George 
F.  Emery,  who  held  the  position  until  his  death,  April  14,  1886. 
The  "Union"  commenced  business  at  No.  238  Washington  street, 
May  1,  1865.  On  the  25th  of  March,  1869,  the  corporation  approved 
of  the  purchase  of  a  site  for  a  bank  building,  corner  of  Chauncy  and 
Bedford  streets,  and  Messrs.  John  C.  Crowley,  Hugh  O'Brien,  and 
Joseph  A.  Laforme  were  appointed  a  building  committee  with  full 
powers.  A  handsome  stone  structure  was  erected,  to  which  the 
bank  was  removed  Aug.  5,  1870,  occupying  No.  37  Bedford 
street,  with  the  significant  emblem  of  a  large  beehive  in  gilt  pro- 
jecting over  the  entrance. 

This  institution  broke  down  the  prejudice  existing  against  loans 
on  Catholic-church  property,  and  savings-banks,  whose  depositors 
were,  to  a  very  large  extent,  Irish  Catholics,  and  some  of  whom 
had  positively  refused  any  loans  on  such  property,  soon  came  to 
their  senses,  and  now,  and  for  a  long  time,  such  loans  are  eagerly 
taken,  and  considered  among  the  safest  investments. 

The  bank  has  now  been  in  existence  twenty-four  years,  has  been 
managed  with  care  and  ability,  and  successfully  withstood  the  great 
run  on  savings-banks  that  occurred  some  years  ago.  In  fact,  during 
that  panic,  it  proved  to  be  one  of  the  strongest  savings-banks  in  the 
State,  as  the  bank  had  a  large  amount  of  quick  assets  on  hand,  and 
was  enabled  to  meet  all  demands  in  accordance  with  the  by-laws  of 
the  institution.  The  rates  of  interest  paid  during  these  years  have 
been  from  eight  to  three  per  cent.  One  commendable  feature  of  the 
bank  is  the  number  of  small   mortgages  held,  —  a  far  greater  pro- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  405 

portion  than  any  similar  bank  in  the  State,  —  and  in  this  way  it  has 
encouraged  persons  of  small  means  to  build  and  own  their  home- 
steads. 

The  gentlemen  who  have  been  connected  with  the  active  man- 
agement of  the  bank  during  these  twenty-four  years  are :  — 

Moses  B.  Williams,  Joseph  A.  Laforme,  Hugh  O'Brien,  Patrick 
Donahoe,  John  C.  Crowley,  Francis  McLaughlin,  Thomas  J.  Lee, 
Robert  H.  Waters,  Theodore  Metcalf,  Wm.  H.  O'Brien,  Hugh  Carey, 
James  Collins,  Francis  A.  Peters,  John  W.  Cartwright,  Thomas  B. 
Williams,  Bernard  Foley,  Owen  Nawn,  John  J.  Hayes,  Cornelius  P. 
Harkins,  Joseph  D.  Fallon,  Michael  J.  Ward,  James  W.  Dunphy, 
P.  H.  Kendricken,  John  Curtin,  Edward  Harkins. 

The  following  as  trustees  :  — 

R.  S.  S.  Andros,  John  G.  Blake,  M.D.,  P.  O.  Burrough,  Rev. 
Wm.  Byrne,  P.  A.  Collins,  Tristram  Campbell,  Wm.  T.  Connelly, 
Michael  Doherty,  T.  J.  Dacey,  James  G.  Davis,  Cor.  F.  Driscoll, 
Wm.  A.  Dunn,  M.D.,  George  F.  Emery,  Rev.  James  Fitton,  John  E. 
Fitzgerald,  M.  F.  Gavin,  M.D.,  P.  F.  Griffin,  Rev.  Geo.  A.  Hamil- 
ton, Rev.  Geo.  F.  Haskins,  Owen  H.  Hanlon,  Ambrose  Kohler, 
James  F.  Mullin,  William  Murray,  Dugald  McDougall,  John  M. 
Maguire,  W.  J.  Porter,  Wm.  S.  Pelletier,  Henry  Pazolt,  P.  H.  Powers, 
Henry  L.  Richards,  Thomas  F.  Ring,  P.  F.  Sullivan,  Rev.  J.  Simeon, 
S.J.,  James  H.  Tallon,  Samuel  Tuckerman,  Denis  H.  Tully,  Joseph 
Walker,  N.  M.  Williams. 

The  bank  is  now  located  at  the  corner  of  Washington  street 
and  Hayward  place, —  a  very  prominent  corner  in  a  great  business 
centre,  —  and  since  this  estate  was  purchased  it  has  largely  increased 
in  value.  The  bank  has  on  hand  a  large  guarantee  and  surplus 
fund,  which  insures  perfect  safety  to  all  depositors.  The  present 
officers  of  the  bank  are :  — 

1888-89. 

President.  —  Hugh  O'Brien. 
Vice-President.  —  Joseph  D.  Fallon. 
Treasurer.  —  William  S.  Pelletier. 


406  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

Clerk.  — John  J.  McCluskey. 

Trustees.  —  John  G.  Blake,  John  Curtin,  James  G.  Davis,  C.  F. 
Driscoll,  William  A.  Dunn,  James  W.  Dunphy,  Joseph  D.  Fallon, 
John  E.  Fitzgerald,  M.  F.  Gavin,  C.  P.  Harkins,  Edward  Harkins, 
P.  H.  Kendricken,  John  M.  Maguire,  Owen  Nawn,  Hugh  O'Brien, 
William  S.  Pelletier,  William  J.  Porter,  P.  F.  Sullivan,  Joseph  Walker, 
Michael  J.  Ward,  Nicholas  M.  Williams. 

Executive  Committee.  —  Hugh  O'Brien,  ex  officio ;  Joseph  D. 
Fallon,  John  Curtin,  C.  P.  Harkins,  Edward  Harkins,  P.  H. 
Kendricken,  M.  J.  Ward. 

Deposits,  $3,422,698.27.     Surplus,  $144,686.50. 

ANDREW    CARNEY. 

Of  the  many  representative  Irishmen  whom  Boston  can  claim 
as  an  honored  citizen,  and  refer  to  the  history  of  his  life  with  the 
utmost  pride,  none,  perhaps,  could  have  a  more  exalted  position 
than  Andrew  Carney.  He  was,  in  the  words  of  a  business  asso- 
ciate, "  one  of  God's  best  noblemen."  To  the  poor  of  this  city 
in  times  of  sickness  and  poverty  he  was  a  kind-hearted,  whole- 
souled,  generous  friend  and  protector.  To  the  Catholic  Church 
and  the  charitable  institutions  in  existence  about  the  middle  of  the 
nineteenth  century  he  was  a  ready  provider,  and  always  liberally 
subscribed  large  sums  of  money  for  their  maintenance.  Many  a 
poor  apple-woman  of  his  time,  presiding  over  her  "  little  stand," 
was  approached  by  the  Irish  merchant  and  tendered  a  half-dollar, 
"  with  no  change,"  in  payment  of  his  purchase  of  an  apple.  He 
would  walk  away  with  the  exclamation,  "  Hush,  my  dear  woman, 
don't  say  a  word  about  it !  "  Incidents  of  this  kind  would  sometimes 
be  so  frequent,  that  on  riding  home  in  a  street  car  at  the  close  of  the 
day,  he  would  not  have  money  enough  to  pay  his  fare,  necessitating 
a  loan  from  a  neighbor,  which  he  always  made  it  a  rule  to  pay  on  the 
following  day. 

Andrew  Carney,  the  founder  of  the  Carney  Hospital,  was  born  in 
Ballanagh,  County  Cavan,  Ireland,  May  12,  1794;  he  died  at  Boston, 
Mass.,  April  3,  1864,  within  a  month  and  nine  days  of  being  seventy 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  407 

years  of  age.  He  was  of  humble  origin,  and  received  but  a 
meagre  education.  At  an  early  age  he  learned  the  tailor's  trade, 
and  in  1816,  when  twenty  years  of  age,  came  to  this  country. 
He  located  in  Boston,  where  he  obtained  employment  as  a  tailor  "  at 
the  bench,"  and  for  a  time  worked  for  Kelley  &  Hudson,  tailors,  on 
State  street.  "  He  began  life,"  said  the  Rev.  Father  McElroy,  in  his 
eulogy,  "  with  nothing  but  health  and  labor  to  rely  upon."  Young 
Carney  was,  however,  self-reliant,  confident,  industrious,  persevering, 
economical,  and  regular  in  his  business  habits,  and  he  won.  He 
held  the  key  of  success  in  his  hand,  turned  it  at  the  opportune  time, 
and  opened  the  door  to  a  substantial  fortune.  In  or  about  the  third 
decade  of  the  present  century  he  became  associated  in  business  with 
Hon.  Jacob  Sleeper,  under  the  firm  style  of  Carney  &  Sleeper,  cloth- 
iers, North  street.  This  association  continued  until  he  was  about 
fifty  years  of  age,  and  resulted  very  satisfactorily  financially  to  both 
partners.  Few  business  firms  of  that  period  could  show  a  business 
record  as  honorable,  or  one  indicative  of  more  commendable  enter- 
prise. Mr.  Carney  was  always  punctual,  and  regarded  his  word  with 
the  sincerity  and  security  of  a  bond.  It  is  said  of  him  that  he  was  a 
very  keen  business  man,  was  exceedingly  shrewd,  and  could  see 
"  money  "  in  a  transaction  when  others  would  be  blind  to  the  possi- 
bilities of  the  occasion.  In  1845  tne  &rm  °f  Carney  &  Sleeper  dis- 
solved, and  during  the  last  nineteen  years  of  his  life  he  was  not 
actively  engaged  in  business.  During  this  time,  however,  he  held 
trusts  of  responsibility  and  honor.  He  was  one  of  the  originators  of 
the  Bank  of  the  Republic  and  the  Safety  Fund  Bank,  now  the  First 
National  Bank,  the  John  Hancock  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company, 
and  many  other  successful  institutions. 

His  donations  for  charity  were  many,  and  of  large  amounts.  In 
the  three  years  preceding  his  death  he  gave  away  over  $300,000,  an 
average  of  $100,000  a  year.  At  the  fall  of  the  Pemberton  Mills  in 
Lawrence,  Mass.,  about  the  year  i860,  which  caused  so  much  suffer- 
ing to  poor  families,  he  sent  a  telegram  early  in  the  morning  to  the 
authorities  of  the  city  informing  them  that  his  check  had  been  sent 
by  mail  to  aid  the  sufferers.     He  bought  and  presented  to  the  good 


408  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

Sisters  of  Charity  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  the  land  and  buildings  now- 
occupied  by  the  Carney  Hospital,  at  a  cost  of  $13,500;  and  in  the 
codicil  to  his  will,  dated  June  25,  1863,  he  bequeathed  $20,000  addi- 
tional, and  one-half  of  the  rest  and  residue  of  his  estate,  which 
amounted  to  $45,295.99.  The  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception 
also  received  $20,000. 

Mr.  Carney  was  a  noble-hearted,  devoted  Christian,  and  his  death 
was  a  source  of  sincere  sorrow  to  a  large  number.  The  obsequies 
were  held  at  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  which  were 
attended  by  Governor  Andrew  and  council,  the  immediate  business 
associates  and  merchants,  many  of  whom  closed  their  places  of  busi- 
ness at  the  hour  of  the  funeral.  At  the  church  a  grand  requiem  mass 
was  celebrated,  with  Very  Rev.  John  J.  Williams,  V.G.,  celebrant ; 
Rev.  Father  Bapst,  S.J.,  and  Rev.  Father  O'Hagan,  S.J.,  of  Holy 
Cross  College,  deacon  and  sub-deacon ;  and  Rev.  Father  James  A. 
Healey,  master  of  ceremonies.  An  appropriate  eulogy  was  delivered 
by  the  Rev.  Father  McElroy.  Mr.  Carney  is  understood  to  have  left 
property  to  the  amount  of  $717,354.99,  which  would  now  amount  to 
a  million  and  a  half  of  dollars. 

CHRISTOPHER  BLAKE. 

Christopher  Blake,  who  for  many  years  was  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  furniture  manufacturing  interests  of  Boston,  is  a  repre- 
sentative citizen  of  Irish  birth,  and  a  successful  and  retired  merchant. 

From  a  comparatively  small  beginning,  by  his  industry,  perse- 
verance, good  judgment,  and  strict  business  integrity,  he  has  accumu- 
lated a  comfortable  fortune  which  now  allows  him  a  rest  from  the 
labor  incidental  to  active  business  life.  He  was  born  in  Balbriggan, 
County  Dublin,  Ireland,  Jan.  24,  1830.  His  early  education  was  re- 
ceived at  a  private  school.  In  September,  1846,  he  arrived  in  Boston, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  served  four  years'  appren- 
ticeship at  the  furniture  manufacturing  trade  with  Joseph  L.  Ross,  on 
Hawkins  street,  and  afterwards  worked  as  journeyman,  until  1856, 
when  he  commenced  business  for  himself  at  94  Utica  street,  with  a 
capital  of  only  $300.     His  means  were  limited,  but,  with  characteristic 


iUft 


CHRISTOPHER    BLAKE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  409 

push,  he  was  equal  to  the  obstacles  of  the  occasion,  and  subsequently 
became  proprietor  of  a  very  large  establishment.  In  1866  he  built  a 
factory  on  Dorchester  avenue,  his  salesrooms  being  located  at  100 
North  street.  He  employed,  on  an  average,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men  in  a  building  completely  equipped  for  the  manufacture  of  centre 
tables,  hall-stands,  etageres,  writing-desks,  and  bookcases.  The 
patterns  made  consisted  of  over  two  thousand  five  hundred  designs, 
and  the  production  amounted  to  about  $175,000  per  year,  —  an 
average  consumption  of  four  hundred  thousand  feet  of  lumber,  prin- 
cipally walnut,  cherry,  oak,  mahogany,  and  white-wood.  A  forty- 
horse  power  engine  was  used  to  run  seven  circular  saws,  three  band 
saws,  three  planers,  five  boring  machines,  four  irregular  moulders, 
one  sandpaper  machine,  four  jig  saws,  four  turning-lathes,  one 
pointer,  and  several  other  machines.  The  working-floor  room 
covered  about  thirty-seven  thousand  square  feet,  and  the  kilns  for 
drying  lumber  had  a  capacity  of  thirty  thousand  feet.  His  trade  ex- 
tended all  over  the  United  States,  with  large  exportations  to  South 
America.  On  April  4,  1887,  he  retired  from  business,  leaving  as  suc- 
cessors Joseph  M.  Blake  (son)  and  C.  H.  W.  Schlimper,  under  the 
firm  style  of  the  C.  Blake  Furniture  Manufacturing  Company.  Mr. 
Blake  never  accepted  public  office,  although  many  times  asked  to  do 
so.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society,  Massachusetts 
Charitable  Mechanics'  Association,  City  Point  Citizens'  Association, 
Boston  Furniture  Club,  a  director  of  the  Home  for  Destitute  Catholic 
Children,  and  an  honorary  member  of  both  Post  2,  G.A.R.,  and  the 
New  England  Furniture  Exchange. 

THOMAS   B.   FITZ. 

Thomas  B.  Fitz,  merchant,  born  in  Grafton,  Mass.,  Dec.  17, 
1844.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Hopkinton,  Mass.,  and  was 
a  graduate  of  the  High  School  of  that  place.  He  came  to  Boston 
when  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  became  employed  by  E.  D.  Bell  & 
Co.,  retail  dry  and  fancy  goods,  at  a  salary  of  two  and  one-half  dol- 
lars a  week.  The  concern  sold  out  shortly  afterward,  and  young 
Fitz  engaged  with  L.  S.  Schofield   (formerly  Bell's  superintendent), 


410  THE    IRISH    IN    BOSTON, 

later,  Schofield,  Barron,  &  Co.  The  latter  firm  subsequently  estab- 
lished a  branch  house  in  New  York  City,  where  Mr.  Fitz  became 
confidential  clerk.  In  less  than  two  years  the  firm  dissolved,  and  he 
was  offered  and  accepted  a  copartnership  with  Mr.  Schofield,  but, 
upon  finding  that  less  capital  was  put  into  the  business  than  was  rep- 
resented, he  withdrew.  In  1865  he  engaged  with  Mason,  Tucker,  & 
"Co.,  wholesale  fancy  goods,  as  a  travelling  salesman,  where  he  re- 
mained for  seven  years.  In  July,  1872,  he  engaged  with  Brown, 
Dutton,  &  Co. ;  but  the  great  Boston  fire,  November  9,  of  that  year, 
brought  about  a  dissolution,  and  in  December  both  partners  com- 
menced business  separately. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Brown  made  Messrs.  Fitz  and  Durrell  a 
very  liberal  offer  to  form  a  copartnership,  which  was  accepted,  and 
in  two  years  were  given  equal  shares  in  the  firm  of  Brown,  Durrell,  & 
Co.  It  is  understood  that  when  Fitz  and  Durrell  were  boys  together 
in  the  employ  of  E.  B.  Bell  &  Co.,  they  formed  a  resolution  to  both 
go  into  business  some  day  for  themselves,  and  it  was  put  into  execu- 
tion in  the  formation  of  the  present  concern.  He  is  a  very  active 
business  man,  an  industrious  worker,  and  a  careful  manager.  The 
house  of  which  he  is  now  one  of  the  partners  started  in  a  compara- 
tively small  way,  and  is  at  present  doing  the  largest  business  in  the 
line  of  wholesale  hosiery  and  fancy  dry  goods  in  Boston,  selling  their 
wares  in  nearly  every  State  in  the  Union.  The  many  charitable, 
generous,  and  kindly  deeds  of  Mr.  Fitz  will  never  be  known.  Suffice 
it  that  the  institutions  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  and  unfortunate,  as 
well  as  the  poor  people  themselves,  share  his  fortune.  His  purse  is 
always  ready  to  support  the  cause  of  Ireland,  and  his  splendid 
business  ability  is  applied  to  the  construction  of  the  legitimate 
machinery  which  yields  fruitfully  the  helpful  financial  product  that  is 
sent  from  New  England  to  Ireland. 

WILLIAM   H.   BRINE. 

William  H.  Brine  was  born  in  Boston,  and  educated  at  the 
public  schools.  When  fourteen  years  of  age  he  entered  the  employ 
of  Mr.  Jonathan  Wheeler,  at  East  Cambridge.     There  he  remained 


THOMAS     B.     FITZ. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  411 

two  years,  and  it  may  be  of  interest  to  our  readers,  and  espe- 
cially to  those  of  the  young  men  who  contemplate  embarking  in 
commercial  life  in  a  great  city,  to  know  that  he  received  per  week 
a  salary  of  one  dollar,  his  present  position  showing  what  may  be 
achieved  by  self-denial,  energy,  and  activity.  We  next  find  him  in 
the  employ  of  Hogg,  Brown,  &  Taylor,  of  Boston,  with  whom  he 
remained  two  years.  This  city  then  had  a  population  of  about 
190,000,  and  the  present  growth  up  to  450,000  must  appear  to  him 
astonishing.  The  growth  of  the  dry-goods  trade,  in  which  his  busi- 
ness ranks,  has  been  very  remarkable,  especially  when  the  great 
opposition  of  New  York  is  considered.  The  sales  of  twelve  dry- 
goods  houses,  strictly  wholesale  and  wholesale  and  retail  combined, 
last  year  amounted  to  $75,000,000,  thus  proving  that  the  dry-goods 
business  of  Boston  is  the  main  feature  in  the  city's  commerce,  repre- 
senting a  larger  total  than  any  other  industry ;  and  when  the  sales  of 
the  exclusively  retail  dealers  are  also  included,  the  total  must  be 
truly  enormous. 

Having  mastered  the  intricacies  of  the  dry-goods  business,  and. 
being  truly  regarded  as  a  promising  young  business  man  of  adminis- 
trative and  executive  ability,  he  entered  the  employ  of  Mr.  John 
Harrington,  at  Somerville.  In  1861,  a  few  months  later,  on  Mr.. 
Harrington  enlisting  in  the  cause  of  the  Union,  so  manifest  had  his; 
ability  become,  and  so  great  was  the  confidence  of  his  employer,  that 
he  was  offered  and  accepted  a  partnership.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that 
he  has  been  connected  with  the  present  house  over  twenty-seven 
years.  Mr.  Brine  justly  ranks  as  a  representative  New  England 
business  man,  thoroughly  posted  in  his  line  of  trade,  and  fully  alive 
to  the  modern  modes  of  doing  business,  and  whose  position,  finan- 
cially and  socially,  is  fully  assured.  He  visited  Europe  in  1885,  and 
although  the  firm  had  been  connected  with  leading  houses  in  England 
and  Germany,  by  visiting  the  principal  marts  of  trade  in  England  and 
on  the  Continent,  his  ideas  of  the  world's  traffic  were  considerably 
enlarged.  His  visits  to  Nottingham,  Balbriggan,  and  other  places 
noted  for  their  hosiery  industries  were  very  interesting  and  proved  of 
great   value  to  him  in  his  business.     This  was  supplemented  by  a 


412  THE    IRISH   IN  BOSTON. 

tour  on  the  Continent,  Vienna,  for  small-wares,  being  an  objective 
point.  Mr.  Brine  owns  some  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 
beautifully  located  at  Manomet  in  Southern  Plymouth  County,  Mass. 
This  property  is  valued  at  $25,000.  There  are  in  Manomet  two 
hotels,  one  of  which  is  on  his  premises. 

The  present  firm  of  Brine  &  Norcross  was  organized  in  1884, 
under  the  same  title  as  now,  succeeding  to  the  old  business  so  long 
conducted  by  John  Harrington  &  Co.  The  premises  then  consisted 
of  two  stores,  at  17  and  18  Tremont  Row  and  70  and  72  Tremont 
street,  those  on  Washington  street  and  Pemberton  square  having 
been  added  in  1886  and  1888  respectively.  The  firm  now  consists 
of  the  two  original  partners,  Mr.  William  H.  Brine  and  Mr.  J.  Henry 
Norcross.  Mr.  John  Harrington  retired  in  1884.  He  is  known  to 
most  of  our  older  citizens  as  one  of  Boston's  prominent  and  success- 
ful merchants,  who  through  a  long  business  career  enjoyed  the  con- 
fidence of  the  commercial  world  and  the  respect  of  the  community 
generally.  The  credit  of  the  house  has  never  been  questioned  under 
the  two  managements. 

PATRICK  MAGUIRE. 

Patrick  Maguire  was  born  in  County  Monaghan,  Ireland,  on  the 
5th  of  December,  1838.  He  came  to  America  when  a  child,  at  the 
early  age  of  seven  years,  his  first  home  being  at  Charlottetown,  Prince 
Edward's  Island,  where  his  youth  was  spent.  He  there  learned  the 
trade  of  printer.  When  but  ten  years  of  age,  he  entered  the  office 
of  "  The  Gazette,"  and  served  his  time  as  an  apprentice.  The 
Provinces,  however,  did  not  offer  the  opportunity  for  business  ad- 
vancement which  an  ambitious,  energetic,  and  able  young  man  has 
the  right  to  expect,  and  Mr.  Maguire  left  Charlottetown  in  1852,  re- 
moving to  Boston,  where  he  engaged  in  his  trade  as  a  journeyman 
printer.  In  this  occupation  he  continued  until  the  age  of  twenty- 
seven,  when,  giving  up  active  work  at  his  trade,  he  entered  the  real- 
estate  business,  in  which  his  energy,  enterprise,  and  sound  com- 
mercial judgment  soon  established  him  in  a  leading  position.  In  a 
few  years   Mr.  Maguire  built  up  a  large  and  substantial  business,  to 


PATRICK    MAGUIRE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  413 

which  he  still  gives  his  personal  attention,  and  was  intrusted  with  the 
management  of  important  estates. 

The  establishment  of  "  The  Republic  "  by  Mr.  Maguire,  in  1882, 
was  a  notable  event  in  the  history  of  weekly  journalism  in  Boston. 
Mr.  Maguire  saw  that  the  field  was  open  for  the  entrance  of  a  journal 
of  a  different  class  from  any  at  that  time  in  existence,  and  he  pro- 
duced it  with  a  success  which  was  immediate  and  which  has  been 
continuous.  "  The  Republic,"  which  bore  evidence  in  every  depart- 
ment of  skilful  workmanship,  quickly  took  its  place  among  the 
leaders  of  popular  thought  and  opinion,  and  has  continued  to  exert 
an  increasing  influence.  It  is  a  monument  to  the  enterprise  and 
ability  of  its  founder,  who  has  impressed  his  strong  individuality 
upon  the  journal,  remaining  from  the  first  issue  to  this  day  its  editor, 
proprietor,  and  publisher. 

Mr.  Maguire  has  been  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  one  of  the 
leaders  of  the  Democratic  party  in  Boston  and  in  the  State  of  Massa- 
chusetts. His  first  vote  was  cast  for  Stephen  A.  Douglas  for  Presi- 
dent in  i860.  As  soon  as  he  came  of  age,  which  occurred  in  the 
year  preceding  that  of  the  Douglas  campaign,  he  was  chosen  a 
member  of  the  Democratic  City  Committee  of  Boston,  and  in  that 
body  he  has  held  a  seat  to  the  present  time,  occupying  the  president's 
chair  for  three  years  in  succession,  in  which  he  demonstrated  a  genius 
for  political  leadership.  While  so  prominent  for  many  years  in  the 
work  of  the  party,  Mr.  Maguire  accepted  no  office  for  himself;  but 
in  1883  he  was  nominated  member  of  the  Executive  Council  of  the 
Commonwealth  from  the  Fourth  Councillor  District,  and  was  elected 
by  a  substantial  majority.  He  was  reelected  in  1884  and  again  in 
1885,  to  serve  for  those  years.  Mr.  Maguire  was  chosen  in  1884  a 
delegate  to  the  National  Democratic  Convention  at  Chicago,  where  he 
took  a  prominent  part  in  advocacy  of  the  nomination  of  Mr. 
Cleveland.  He  was  also  a  delegate  to  the  National  Convention  of 
1888,  at  St.  Louis.  In  1885  Mr.  Maguire  was  appointed  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Park  Commissioners  of  the  city  of  Boston,  a  position 
in  which  he  is  now  serving,  and  is  identified  with  the  successful 
development  of  the  great  system  of  public  parks  in  the  city. 


414  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


DENIS   H.   TULLY. 

Denis  H.  Tully,  who  was  so  well  known  as  one  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive produce  and  wine  merchants  in  Boston,  died  April  10,  1887. 
Mr.  Tully  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  came  to  America  in  1854,  and 
entered  the  counting-room  of  a  large  wholesale  house.  Having 
practised  civil  engineering  for  some  time  in  his  native  land,  this  early 
training  proved  of  great  advantage  in  his  future  career  as  a  successful 
merchant.  In  1857  he  became  connected  with  the  late  John  S. 
Blake,  of  Central  Wharf,  Boston,  in  a  short  time  rising  to  be  that 
gentleman's  chief  assistant,  and  managing  his  extensive  Mediterranean 
business.  Upon  Mr.  Blake's  death,  in  1873,  Mr.  Tully  became  his 
successor  as  proprietor  and  owner  of  the  establishment,  and  continued 
in  active  business  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  also  treasurer 
of  the  Boston  Beer  Company,  a  corporation  whose  charter  dated  from 
1828.  From  too  close  application  to  business,  Mr.  Tully's  health 
gave  way,  and  two  years  ago  he  had  a  severe  attack,  from  which  he 
recovered  sufficiently  to  allow  of  his  visiting  Ireland  for  a  few  months, 
from  which  he  derived  much  benefit.  Mr.  Tully  was  a  devout  Cath- 
olic, being  a  member  of  the  congregation  of  the  Church  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception,  and  a  benefactor  of  that  church  and  of 
Boston  College,  and  also  of  many  worthy  charitable  institutions  of 
Boston. 

By  the  will  of  the  late  Denis  H.  Tully,  of  Boston,  Catholic 
churches  and  institutions  in  this  city  and  Worcester  were  enriched 
by  the  sum  of  $90,000.  To  the  Archbishop  of  Boston,  $10,000  was 
bequeathed,  to  be  applied  by  him  toward  reducing  the  debt  on  the 
Cathedral  of  the  Holy  Cross,  and  for  the  benefit  and  improvement  of 
the  church;  $10,000  was  also  bequeathed  to  the  Archbishop  for  the 
improvement  and  advancement  of  the  Boston  Ecclesiastical  Semi- 
nary. 

The  president  of  Boston  College  received  $8,000  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  college,  and  an  additional  $2,000  to  be  kept  sepa- 
rate from  the  general  fund,  the  income  to  be  devoted  to  a  prize  to  be 
offered  at  the  annual  commencement  exercises. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  415 

The  pastor  of  St.  Mary's  Church  received  $10,000,  to  be  devoted 
to  reducing  the  church  debt  and  for  the  support  of  the  parish. 

The  association  for  the  care  of  destitute  Catholic  children  got 
$10,000;  the  Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor,  $10,000;  Carney  Hospital, 
$5,000;  the  House  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  $5,000;  Holy  Cross 
College,  Worcester,  $5,000;  the  new  infant  asylum  on  Dudley  street, 
formed  from  St.  Mary's  Infant  Asylum,  $2,000;  the  House  of  the 
Angel  Guardian,  $2,000.  This  most  thoughtful  friend  of  the  poor 
further  bequeathed  to  his  executrixes  and  executors  the  sum  of 
$10,000,  to  be  devoted  to  the  deserving  poor  and  destitute  of  the  city, 
and  to  be  expended  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  several  paro- 
chial conferences  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul.  This  bequest  was  given 
with  special  reference  to  the  parish  poor  of  St.  Mary's,  St.  Stephen's, 
St.  James',  St.  Francis  de  Sales,  St.  Joseph's,  and  St.  Mary's  in  the 
Charlestown  district,  St.  Patrick's,  and  to  the  Conference  of  the  Im- 
maculate Conception.  Mr.  Tully  appointed  his  sisters,  Cecilia  Tully 
and  Margaret  M.  Tully,  to  be  executrixes,  and  Edward  A.  Kinney 
and  Wm.  S.  Pelletier  to  be  executors.  They  are  exempt  from  surety. 
Holyhood  Cemetery  was  bequeathed  $1,000,  the  income  to  maintain 
the  burial  lot  in  good  condition.  After  a  number  of  private  be- 
quests in  addition  to  the  charities  above  mentioned,  the  balance  of 
the  estate  was  bequeathed  to  the  sisters  of  the  deceased. 

HENRY  A.   McGLENEN. 

The  popular  business  agent  of  the  Boston  Theatre  is  the  son  of 
Irish  parents,  and  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  Nov.  28,  1826.  He 
attended  the  schools  of  his  native  place,  including  one  term  at  St. 
Mary's  College.  At  an  early  age  he  learned  the  printer's  trade  with 
John  Murphy,  the  well-known  Baltimore  printer  and  Catholic  book 
publisher.  In  1845  he  came  to  Boston,  where  he  worked  "at  the 
case  "  in  the  newspaper  offices.  In  1846  he  resigned  a  position  on 
the  "  Daily  Advertiser  "  to  go  to  Mexico  as  a  member  of  Company  A, 
First  Massachusetts  Regiment,  commanded  by  Edward  Webster,  son 
of  Daniel  Webster,  and  remained  in  the  service  until  the  return  of  the 
regiment,  July,  1848.     He  then  resumed  work  as  a  printer,  and  re- 


416  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

ceived  a  varied  experience  in  that  line.  In  1866  he  became  adver- 
tising and  advance  agent  for  many  of  the  prominent  public  attractions 
which  made  successful  tours  throughout  this  country.  About  1869 
he  accepted  this  present  position,  which  he  has  filled  very  acceptably 
ever  since.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Boston  Press  Club,  president  of 
the  Association  of  Massachusetts  Volunteers  in  Mexico,  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  National  Association  of  Mexican  War  Veterans,  Boston 
Light  Infantry  Veteran  Association,  Royal  Arcanum,  Boston  Athletic 
Association,  and  as  the  representative  of  the  Mexican  Volunteers, 
recently  presented  to  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  a  flag 
received  by  them   from  Gen.  Winfield  Scott. 

The  regiment  did  meritorious  service  under  General  Taylor  on 
the  Rio  Grande  and  under  General  Scott  on  the  Vera  Cruz  line,  and 
on  the  eve  of  their  departure  for  home  the  regiment  was  presented 
with  a  beautifully  wrought  silk  standard,  which  was  made  by  the 
Catholic  nuns  in  a  Mexican  convent,  at  an  expense  of  several  hundred 
dollars.  It  was  held  by  the  survivors  of  the  regiment  until  recently, 
when  they  presented  it  to  the  State  of  Massachusetts. 

The  following  correspondence  is  self-explanatory.  The  standard 
is  one  of  five  presented  by  General  Scott  to  State  troops.  It  had 
originally  a  blue  ground,  which  is  now  faded  to  a  yellowish  drab. 
The  flag  bears,  beside  the  United  States  arms,  the  words,  "  Massa- 
chusetts Volunteer  Infantry." 

Boston,  Jan.  23,  1889. 
General,  —  I  ask  your  acceptance  for  the  Commonwealth  of  the  accompany- 
ing standard  given  to  the  regiment  of  Massachusetts  Volunteers  in  Mexico  by 
Maj.-Gen.  Winfield  Scott,  in  recognition  of  faithful  service  performed  in  the  cam- 
paigns of  1847-48.  My  surviving  comrades  are  few,  and  each  year  lessens  the 
number.  When  we  have  passed  away,  the  standard  will  remain  a  testimony  that 
the  representatives  of  the  Bay  State,  in  a  service  which  brought  honor  to  our  flag, 
and  vast  domain  and  exhaustless  wealth  to  the  nation,  were  deemed  worthy  of 
special  commendation  by  the  great  captain  of  his  day. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

H.  A.  McGLENEN. 
To  Adjutant-General  S.  Dalton,  M.V.M. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  417 

Adjutant-General's  Office,  Boston,  Jan.  23,  1889. 
H.  A.  McGlenen,  Esq.  :  — 

My  Dear  Sir,  —  I  am  in  receipt  of  your  communication  of  this  date,  asking 
my  acceptance  for  the  Commonwealth  of  the  standard  given  to  the  regiment  of 
Massachusetts  Volunteers  in  Mexico,  by  Gen.  Winfield  Scott,  as  a  testimonial  of 
faithful  service  performed  in  the  campaign  of  1847-48.  His  Excellency  the  Governor 
directs  me  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  this  valuable  relic  and  to  accept  the  same, 
with  the  assurance  that  it  will  be  preserved  with  great  care. 
I  am,  sir,  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

SAMUEL  DALTON, 
Adjutant-  General. 

DENNIS  J.    HERN. 

Dennis  J.  Hern  is  the  general  superintendent  of  the  Mutual 
Union  Telegraph  Company,  and  general  manager  of  the  Mutual 
District  Messenger  Company.  He  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Aug. 
19,  1853,  and  graduated  from  the  Boylston  Grammar  School,  on  old 
Fort  Hill,  in  1863.  Thence  he  went  to  work  for  the  United  States 
Telegraph  Company,  then  located  in  the  basement  of  the  old  State 
House  in  Boston,  Mass.,  and  which  was  merged  finally  into  the 
American  and  Western  Union  Company.  He  advanced  steadily 
upward  through  the  various  grades  of  positions,  such  as  clerk, 
operator,  and  manager,  until  he  was  appointed  the  superintendent 
of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Telegraph  Company  in  1879,  which 
gave  him  the  honor  of  being  the  youngest  superintendent  in  the 
telegraph  service  in  the  United  States.  Mr.  Hern  was  associated 
with  Prof.  Alexander  Graham  Bell,  the  inventor  of  the  Bell 
telephone,  and  also  with  Prof.  Thomas  A.  Edison,  both  of 
whom  he  assisted  in  their  earliest  scientific  experiments  between  the 
years  1875  and  1880,  and  he  received  from  these  gentlemen  liberal 
offers  to  join  them  in  their  enterprises,  which  he  declined  because 
of  his  penchant  for  the  telegraph  service.  In  1880  the  Western 
Union  Company  secured  control  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Com- 
pany's stock,  and  Mr.  Hern  was  invited  by  the  New  York  officials 
of  that  company  to  accept  a  position  with  them  corresponding  to 
the   one  he  had  held  in  the  service  of  the  other  corporation.     At 


418  THE    IRISH   IN  BOSTON. 

that  time  the  electric  light  shone  brilliantly  upon  a  new  field  for 
investment  and  profit,  and  our  subject  hastened  to  New  York,  where 
he,  with  Alderman  "  Boss  "  McLaughlin,  and  Mr.  Thomas  Nevins,  the 
chief  engineer  of  the  Brooklyn  Fire  Department,  formed  the  Brook- 
lyn Electric  Light  Company.  Mr.  Hern  owned  one-fifth  of  the 
capital  stock  of  the  company,  which  he  afterwards  sold  to  Mr. 
McLaughlin  and  others.  Mr.  Parker  C.  Chandler,  of  Boston,  and 
Mr.  James  M.  Prendergast,  the  well-known  Boston  cotton-cloth 
commission  merchant,  were  associated  with  Mr.  Hern  in  the  Brook- 
lyn venture,  and  the  company,  among  other  things,  secured  the 
contract  for  lighting  the  streets  of  Brooklyn  and  the  Brooklyn 
bridge.  During  this  period  Mr.  Hern  was  the  managing  director  of 
the  luminous  Electric  Manufacturing  Company  of  New  York,  then 
located  on  Bond  street,  in  which  several  hundred  men  were  employed 
in  the  manufacture  of  telegraphic  and  electric-light  apparatus. 
Early  in  1881  Mr.  Hern  assisted  others  to  organize  and  capitalize 
the  Mutual  Union  Telegraph  Company  of  New  York,  whose  capital 
reached  the  sum  of  three  million  dollars,  and  it  was  built  to  compete 
with  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company.  He  was  appointed 
general  superintendent  of  the  corporation  from  New  York  to 
Bangor,  and  he  personally  supervised  the  construction  of  its  entire 
line  system  in  the  New  England  States,  and  the  arrangement  and 
appointments  of  the  vast  number  of  branch  offices.  Mr.  Hern  still 
retains  his  position  in  this  corporation,  notwithstanding  that  the 
Western  Union  Company  controls  the  stock  of  the  Mutual  Union 
Company.  He  is  a  director  for  the  Electrical  Development  Manu- 
facturing Company  of  Boston,  which  has  a  large  manufactory  on 
Congress  street  in  this  city,  wherein  the  manufacture  of  electric-light 
apparatus  is  effected.  In  January,  1883,  he  organized  the  Mutual 
Union  District  Messenger  Company  in  Boston,  to  furnish  messengers 
to  collect  and  deliver  messages  and  telegrams  for  telegraph  com- 
panies, and  for  the  collection  and  delivery  of  messages,  parcels,  etc. 
for  the  public.  A  similar  organization  had  existed  in  Boston  and 
New  York,  and  it  had  not  been  financially  successful,  nor  had  it  ever 
paid  a  dividend,  owing  in  a  measure  to  inefficient  management  of 


^ 


DENNIS    J.    HERN. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  419 

the  business.  Mr.  Hern  selected  for  his  company  during  the  forma- 
tion period  a  good  staff  of  men  of  superior  abilities  and  boys ;  the 
latter  he  had  well  drilled  and  trained  to  the  service,  and  their 
deportment  and  clothing  were  scrupulously  looked  after,  so  as  to 
attract  the  patronage  of  the  public.  He  established  well-appointed 
offices  and  distributed  call-boxes  throughout  the  city.  Four  offices 
and  forty  messengers  and  the  necessary  clerk  hire  made  up  the 
plant  and  working  force  in  the  beginning,  and  the  connections  with 
different  points  numbered  less  than  five  hundred.  To-day  the  com- 
pany has  forty-five  hundred  connections,  it  owns  two  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  of  wire,  and  employs  four  hundred  messengers. 
Nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million  telegrams  are  received  and  delivered 
monthly  in  the  city  and  vicinity  by  the  company,  besides  a  large 
number  of  letters  and  packages.  The  monthly  revenue  from  it  is  over 
$10,000.  The  pay-roll  shows  annual  payments  to  the  messengers 
of  $100,000,  which  goes  directly  into  the  poor  families  of  Boston, 
which  makes  this  great  undertaking  one  of  the  great  charities  of  our 
proud  city.  One-third  of  the  four  hundred  messenger  boys  who  are 
employed  by  the  Mutual  District  Company  are  orphans,  and  Mr. 
Hern  is  ever  on  the  alert  for  the  employment  and  advancement  of 
such  as  those.  They  are  well  cared  for  by  the  company,  provided 
with  good  uniforms,  they  have  established  rules  to  regulate  their 
habits  and  behavior,  and  are  coached  in  their  training  school  at 
22  Exchange  street.  Mr.  Hern  is  a  positive  and  firm  advocate  of 
the  payment  of  liberal  wages  to  the  employes  of  the  concern,  and 
this  has  had  much  to  do  with  its  success.  Many  organizations  and 
clubs  claim  Mr.  Hern  on  their  rolls  of  membership,  chief  among 
which  are  the  New  York  Electrical  Society,  composed  of  the  prom- 
inent telegraph  and  electrical  engineers  of  this  country ;  the  Electric 
Club  of  Boston ;  and  the  Boston  Clover  Club.  He  is  a  director  in 
the  telegraph  and  messenger  companies  at  Newport,  R.I.,  Water- 
bury,  Conn.,  Brooklyn,  N.Y.,  and  Denver,  Col.  He  is  well  known  to 
nearly  all  of  the  leading  business  men  in  the  Eastern  States,  and  he 
was  general  manager  of  the  Eastern  Telegraph  Company  in  New 
Hampshire  and  Maine,  of  which  Governor  Robie  was  the  president. 


420  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


JAMES  A.  FLANAGAN. 

James  A.  Flanagan,  contractor  and  builder,  born  at  West- 
field,  King's  County,  N.B.,  Oct.  8,  1845.  He  came  to  this  country 
when  quite  a  young  man.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  New 
Brunswick,  and  after  working  on  a  farm,  learned  his  trade  as  a 
carpenter  and  builder.  About  1862  he  gained  a  knowledge  of 
mechanical  drawing  at  the  Newton  Evening  Drawing-Schools.  He 
came  to  Boston  in  1876,  and  was  engaged  as  foreman  for  D.  J. 
Donovan,  builder.  In  1882  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  his 
employer  and  brother,  under  the  firm  name  of  Donovan  & 
Flanagan  Bros.  Since  the  death  of  the  former,  Dec.  31,  1886,  the 
business  has  been  carried  on  by  the  Flanagan  Bros.  The  firm  is  at 
present  doing  a  business  of  over  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  per 
year.  Mr.  Flanagan  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Master  Builders' 
Association. 

JOHN  B.  REGAN. 

John  B.  Regan,  boot  and  shoe  dealer,  born  in  County  Cork, 
Ireland,  June  21,  1838.  He  came  to  this  country  in  November, 
1848,  and  located  in  Boston,  where  he  attended  the  Quincy  Gram- 
mar School.  He  learned  the  printing  business  with  John  H.  East- 
man, at  which  he  was  engaged  from  1853  to  i860.  In  1865  he 
established  himself  at  the  present  site  on  Essex  street,  in  the  boot 
and  shoe  business.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Charitable  Irish  Society, 
Montgomery  Veteran  Association,  and  has  contributed  considerable 
information  about  early  Irish  settlers  in  Boston.  He  is  noted  for  his 
fondness  of  historical  researches  in  this  direction,  and  he  has  suc- 
ceeded in  unearthing  much  valuable  material  pertaining  to  the  Irish 
of  the  colonial  period. 


JOHN    B.    REAGAN. 


LEADING    BUSINESS   MEN. 


421 


A  LIST   OF   LEADING   BUSINESS    MEN    IN  BOSTON.1 


Alley,  John  R., 
Bishop,  Robert, 
Blake,  C, 

Brine  [&  Norcross], 
Broderick,  John 
Brophey,  Thomas, 
Brown,  Durrell,  &  Co., 
Burke,  Patrick  F., 
Boyle  Bros., 
Boyle,  J.  A., 
Boyd,  J.  &  J.,  &  Co., 
Boston  Furniture  Co., 
Callaghan,  J.  H., 
Carey,  Jeremiah, 
Carey,  P.  F., 
Calnan,  James  W., 
Campbell  Bros., 
Campbell,  P.  J.,  &  Sons, 
Campbell,  Patrick, 
Cannon,  Austin, 
Cannon,  Peter, 
Canney,  Patrick, 
Cleag,  John  P., 
Casey,  James  D., 
Casey,  Maurice  F., 
Cashman,  Keating,  &  Co., 
Cassidy,  John  E., 
Cavanagh,  John,  &  Son, 
Cawley  &  O'Connor, 
Clarke,  Michael  T., 
Clarke  &  Ryan, 


Cogan,  Joseph, 

Coleman,  C.  A., 

Collier,  P.  F., 

Collins,  James,  &  Co., 

Collins,  Patrick, 

Conlon,  John, 

Cullen,  James  B.,  &  Co., 

Crowley,  Peter  C, 

Curran  &  Joyce, 

Curran,  M., 

Curtin,  John, 

Curry,  Michael  C, 

Callaghan,  John  H.,  &  Co., 

Callaghan,  Thomas  O.,  &  Co., 

Daly,  John  C, 

Dasey,  Charles  V., 

Day,  Callaghan,  &  Co., 

Dee  Bros.  &  Co., 

Deasy,  Timothy, 

Doolan,  John, 

Dee  Bros., 

Dempsey  Bros., 

Devine  Bros., 

Devine,  Dennis  D., 

Devine,  James  V., 

Dobbins,  Henry, 

Doherty  Bros., 

Doherty,  Henry, 

Doherty,  Michael,  &  Co., 

Doherty,  Patrick, 

Dorchester  Mfg.  Co., 


1  Any  names  of  other  business  men 
enrolment  in  later  editions  of  this  book,  if 


or  firms  not  on  this  list  will  be  carefully  kept  for 
they  are  sent  to  the  author. 


422 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


Donahoe  &  Brennan, 
Donnelly,  James  J., 
Dooley's  Hotel, 
Dowling,  James, 
Dooling,  James, 
Driscoll,  C.  F.,  &  Co., 
Dugan,  James, 
Donegan,  John, 
Donohoe,  Patrick, 
Donohoe,  Chrysostom, 
Dunne,  F.  L., 
Dwyer,  John,  &  Co., 
Dyer,  J.  &  P., 
English,  William, 
English,  Maurice, 
Ellis  [&  Lewis], 
Fagan,  James, 
Farrell,  John  R., 
Farrell,  Nagle,  &  Power, 
Fay,  Martin, 
Fay,  Thomas, 
Finnegan,  Patrick,  &  Co., 
Fitzgerald,  James  M., 
Flanagan  Bros., 
Flatley,  Michael  J., 
Flinn  Bros., 
Flood,  John  C, 
Flynn,  David, 
Farrell,  James, 
Fanen,  Dennis, 
Fitzpatrick,  John  J., 
Foley,  B.  &  A., 
Ford  Bros., 
Ford,  John  G., 
Ford  &  McQuaid, 
Franey,  Edward  J.,  &  Co., 


Gafmey,  Peter, 
Gafifney,  Thomas,  &  Co., 
Gallagher,  J., 
Galvin  Bros., 
Galvin,  John  M., 
Gately,  M.  R.,  &  Co., 
Gibbon,  John  S.,  &  Co., 
Gates  &  Co., 
Giblin,  Hugh, 
Gleason,  James  A., 
Gorman  Bros., 
Gormley,  James, 
Gormley,  John,  &  Son, 
Grace,  James  J., 
Gratton,  J.  T. 
Greeley,  James, 
Greeley,  Patrick, 
Green,  Patrick  J., 
Grimes,  Thomas  B., 
Haggerty,  Roger, 
Hussey,  Thomas,  &  Co., 
Haley,  Michael, 
Hanlon  &  Co., 
Harkins,  Edward,  &  Co., 
Harrigan,  J.,  &  Son, 
Harrington,  John, 
Harvey,  John, 
Hayes,  John  J., 
Hearn,  James, 
Herlihy,  James  W., 
Higgins  &  Cook, 
Higgins,  Patrick,  &  Co., 
Hogan,  John, 
Horan  Bros., 
Horan,  Maurice  F., 
Haynes,  Edward  F., 


LEADING   BUSINESS   MEN. 


423 


Hurley,  William, 
Johnson,  William  A., 
Keany,  Matthew, 
Kelly  Bros., 
Keefe,  John  J.,  &  Co., 
Kelly  &  Co., 
Kelly,  Patrick  P., 
Kelly  &  Hays, 
Kelly,  Michael, 
Kelly,  Michael  J., 
Kelly,  Thomas,  &  Co., 
Kendricken,  Paul  H., 
Kennedy,  Donald, 
Kennedy  &  Murphy, 
Kenney,  J.  W., 
Keogh,  Richard  T., 
Kerrigan,  Wm.  F., 
Kiley,  Michael  J., 
Lally  &  Collins, 
Lally,  Edward  F., 
Lally,  P.  G., 
Lamb,  John, 
Leonard,  Lawrence, 
Leonard,  Luke, 
Logan,  L.  J.,  &  Co., 
Logan,  Michael  J., 
Lappen  Bros., 
Lappen,  J.  E.,  &  Co., 
Lappen,  Owen, 
Lomasney,  Joseph  R., 
Laughlin  Bros., 
Laughlin,  James  W., 
Lynch  Bros., 
Lynch,  Eugene, 
Lynch,  Thomas  P., 
Lyons,  John, 


Lyons,  Thomas  J., 
Lyons,  Wm.,  John  J.,  and  Dennis, 
McAleer,  Patrick, 
McCaffrey,  John, 
McQuaid,  Francis, 
McCarthy,  F.  C, 
Mahoney,  E.  H., 
Manning,  William, 
Mullen,  M.  J., 
McAloon,  James  B., 
McAvoy,  Dennis  S., 
McBarron  &  Co., 
McBarron  &  Lucas, 
McCafferty,  John  H., 
McCann,  Bernard, 
McCarthy,  James  C, 
McCarthy,  John,  &  Son, 
McCarty,  James,  &  Co., 
McConnell,  Charles, 
McConnell,  Hugh, 
McCormick,  James, 
McCormick,  John,  estate  of, 
McCormick,  John  L., 
McCormick,  Thomas, 
McDevitt,  Robert, 
McDonald,  John  W., 
McElroy,  Henry, 
McEttrick,  Michael  F., 
McGowan,  Patrick, 
McGuire  &  Hughes, 
McKenna,  Stephen, 
McLaughlin,  Daniel, 
McMahon,  J.  W., 
McMahon,  James, 
McManus  &  Co., 
McShone,  Henry,  &  Co., 


424 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


Madden  Bros., 
Magullion  &  Calnan, 
Magullion,  Frank  E., 
Maher  &  Casey, 
Martin,  John  B., 
Meany,  Edward  F.,  estate  of, 
Meehan,  Michael, 
Meehan,  Patrick, 
Miller,  John,  &  Co., 
Monohan,  Patrick, 
Moore,  John  F., 
Moore,  Robert, 
Mullowney,  Michael, 
Mulvey,  Patrick  D., 
Murphy,  Chas.  F.,  &  Co., 
Murphy,  Edward, 
Murphy,  James  P.,  &  Co., 
Murphy,  James  S., 
Murphy,  Leavins,  &  Co., 
Murphy  &  McCarthy, 
Murray,  Jeremiah  A., 
Murray,  Henry, 
Murray,  J.  &  O., 
Murray,  Robert  C, 
Nagle,  Garrett,  &  Co., 
Nagle,  William, 
N.E.  Organ  Co., 
Nawn,  Hugh, 
Nawn,  Owen, 
Noonan,  Thomas  B., 
O'Brien,  James, 
O'Brien,  James  J., 
O'Brien,  Timothy  J., 
O'Connell,  John,  &  Sons, 
O'Connell,  T.,  &  Co., 
O'Connor,  John, 


O'Conor,  Patience, 

O'Connor,  Mrs.  Thomas, 

O'Donnell,  Philip  E.,  &  Co., 

O'Hare,  John, 

O'Keefe,  D.  J., 

O'Kelly's,  W.,  Sons, 

O'Neil,  Gould,  &  Presby, 

O'Neil,  Arthur  H., 

O'Reilly,  Denis, 

Pilot  Publishing  Co., 

Quinn,  Francis, 

Quinn,  James,  &  Co., 

Quirk,  W.  H., 

Reagan,  Michael  F., 

Regan,  Martin, 

Reade,  John, 

Roach,  George  F.,  &  Co., 

Reardon,  John,  &  Sons, 

Rooney,  William, 

Ryan,  John  A., 

Ryan,  P.  J., 

Shea,  Daniel,  &  Co., 

Shea,  John, 

Shea,  Patrick, 

Shay,  Edward,  &  Co., 

Shields,  Patrick  F., 

Stack,  James  H., 

Sullivan  Bros., 

Sullivan,  James,  &  Co., 

Sullivan,  John, 

Sullivan,  Richard  T., 

Sullivan,  T.,  &  Co., 

Sullivan,  Wm.  J., 

Smith  Bros., 

Santry,  John  P., 

Scanlan,  Patrick. 


PRINCIPAL    OCCUPATIONS. 


425 


PRINCIPAL    OCCUPATIONS. 


U.S.  Custom  House  service 27 

U.S.  Postal  Department  service 16 

Other  national  government  service  . .  14 

State  government  service 25 

City  Fire  Department  service 17 

City  Police  Department  service 1 1 2 

City  Street  Department  service 59 

City  Water  Department  service 20 

City  clerical  service  6 

Other  city  government  service Ill 

U.S.  Army  service 19 

U.S.  Navy  service 49 

Cemetery  service 104 

Clergymen 34 

Sextons 13 

Lawyers 13 

Dentists  ......  \ I 

Physicians 18 

Physicians  and  surgeons 4 

Editors    4 

Journalists I 

Reporters ■ 3 

Artists 4 

Musicians 12 

Music  teachers 5 

Actors 4 

Theatrical  agents  and  officials I 

Professors I 

Teachers 4 

Architects . .  3 

Chemists   4 

Civil  engineers   8 

Draughtsmen 2 

Inventors I 

Stenographers I 

Boarding-house  keepers  and  employes,  1 7 

Hotel- keepers  and  employes 348 

Lodgmg-house  keepers  and  employes,  3 

Restaurant-keepers  and  employes  ...  93 

Saloon-keepers  and  employes 115 

Coachmen  (in  families) 334 

Servants  (in  families) 138 

Bartenders 255 


Barbers 

Hairdressers 

Janitors  (private  buildings) 

rLaundry-work 

Stationary  engineers  and  assistants. . . 

Undertakers  and  assistants 

Watchmen 

Commission  merchants 

Merchants  and  dealers 

Merchants  and  dealers  (wholesale)  .. 

Pedlers 

Salesmen 

Salesmen  (wholesale) , 

Salesmen  (travelling) 

Book-keepers 

Book-keepers  (wholesale) 

Clerks 

Clerks  (wholesale) 

Clerks,  shipping 

Clerks,  shipping  (wholesale) 

Telegraph  officials  and  employes  .... 

Agents 

Agents  (insurance) 

Agents  (real  estate) 

Bank  officials  and  employes 

Brokers  

Collectors 

Cash  and  bundle  boys 

Coal-heavers  (vessels) 

Errand-boys 

Laborers  and  helpers  (in  stores)  .... 

Longshoremen 

Office-boys 

Packers 

Porters 

Telegraph  messengers  and  line-men  . 

Boarding   and   livery   stable   keepers 
and  employes 

Carriage  and  hack  drivers 

Drivers  of  delivery  wagons 

Express   company   officials  and    em- 
ployes  

Herdic  officials  and  employes 


41 
9 

53 
3 

18 

"3 

8 

1,187 

64 

258 

229 

22 

29 

35 
9 
253 
19 
25 
25 
10 

•  64 
5 

19 
3 
9 

24 

5 
101 

65 

398 

1,043 

18 

37 
253 

17 

614 
112 

4i 

77 
6 


1  Including  persons  of  Irish  birth  only.    This  classification  and  these  figures  are  compiled  from 
the  Census  of  1SS5,  by  Carroll  D.  Wright,  and  therefore  are  the  most  reliable  which  could  be  found. 


426 


THE   IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


Horse-railroad  officials  and  employes,  404 

Teamsters l>i29 

Steam-railroad  officials  and  employes,  1,026 

Master  mariners  (sailing) 4 

Mariners  (sailing)   67 

Steamboat  officials  and  employes  ...  52 

Stevedores 33 

Towboat  officials  and  employes 12 

Farmers 21 

Farm  laborers 190 

Florists . . .  c 23 

Gardeners  and  assistants 273 

Fishermen 332 

Artisans'  tools  makers 6 

Boot  and  shoemakers . . 388 

Box-makers 8 

Terra-cotta  workers 7 

Brush-makers 10 

Builders  and  contractors 23 

Carpenters 556 

Gasfitters 13 

Lathers 20 

Masons 1,069 

Painters 258 

Paper-hangers 14 

Plasterers 152 

Plumbers 123 

Roofers  . 59 

Stair-builders 3 

Steam-fitters  13 

Carpet-factory  operatives 117 

Carriage  and  wagon  makers 36 

Carriage  painters 29 

Wheelwrights  and  wheel-makers  ....  39 

Watch-makers 8 

Coat-makers ...  53 

Hat  and  cap  makers   29 

Ready-made  clothing  makers 22 

Tailors 515 

Cordage-factory  operatives 109 

Cotton-mill  operatives 14 

Dyestuffs-makers 49 

Pottery-works  employes 5 

Electricians 3 

Electric-light  company  employes  ....  4 

Bakers 156 

Chocolate-makers 3 

Confectionery  makers  and  packers. . .  20 

Slaughter-house  employes 20 


Sugar-refinery  employes 1 96 

Cabinet-makers 67 

Chair-makers 8 

Furniture  finishers 19 

Furniture  polishers 21 

Furniture-makers ' 33 

Upholsterers 58 

Gas-works  employes 371 

Glass-works  employes 19 

Harness-makers 74 

Morocco-workers 19 

Tannery  employes 204 

Bottlers 12 

Brewery  employes 111 

Lumber-yard  employes 85 

Saw-mill  employes 19 

Boiler- works  employes 122 

Machinists 199 

Machine-shop  employes 43 

Blacksmiths  and  helpers 473 

Brass-workers 63 

Copper-workers 17 

Iron-workers 391 

Jewellery-makers 5 

Nail-makers 61 

Tin-workers 59 

Model  and  pattern  makers 8 

Organ  and  organ  parts  makers 1 8 

Piano  and  piano  parts  makers 74 

Oil-works  employes 56 

Paper-mills  operatives 25 

Photographers 5 

Bookbindery  employes 26 

Book  publishers  and  employes 3 

Compositors  and  printers  (book  and 

job)   120 

Compositors     and     printers    (news- 
paper)    24 

Lithographers  and  lithographic  print- 
ers   13 

Car-makers  (steam  and  horse) 14 

Rubber-factory  operatives 47 

Boat-builders   8 

Calkers 14 

Riggers 1 1 

Sailmakers   8 

Ship-carpenters   26 

1  Not  specified. 


PRINCIPAL    OCCUPATIONS. 


427 


Marble- workers 225 

Stone-workers  ' 176 

Cigar-makers 14 

Trunk-factory  employes 22 

Coopers 143 

Picture-frame  makers 1 8 

Wood-carvers 27 

Wood-turners 5 

Wood-workers  * 23 

Woollen-mill  operatives 24 

Laborers 5>^79 

Apprentices 123 

Scholars  and  students 588 

Children  at  work  and  at  school 16 

Retired 732 

Dependents  (private  support)   273 

Not  given 300 

At  home 193 

Other  occupations  1*827 

Females. 

State  hospital  and  asylum  service ....  48 

Other  State  government  service — 

Nurses  (in  city  hospitals) 18 

Servants  (in  city  hospitals) 17 

Other  city  government  service 9 

Missionaries I 

Inmates  of  religious  institutions 4? 

Physicians 2 

Librarians  and  assistants — 

Artists I 

Musicians   — 

Music  teachers 8 

Singers — 

Actresses 1 

Teachers 43 

Stenographers — 

Boarding-house     keepers     and     em- 
ployes     249 

Hotel-keepers  and  employes 449 

Lodging-house  keepers  and  employes,  64 

Restaurant-keepers  and  employes ....  321 

Housekeepers  (in  families) 198 

Housewives   21,635 

Housework 2,541 

Servants  in  families 6,761 

Book-keepers  and  clerks  in  offices    . .  2 


Private   hospital  and  institution  em- 
ployes   72 

Laundry-work 705 

Washerwomen 589 

Nurses 191 

Merchants  and  dealers 247 

Saleswomen 95 

Bcok-keepers  and  clerks 37 

Telegraph  officials  and  employes  ....  2 

Cash  and  bundle  girls 25 

Errand-girls 4 

Rag  pickers  and  sorters 42 

Boot  and  shoe  makers »-  33 

Paper-box  makers 29 

Box-makers  l 2 

Brush-makers 10 

Button-makers 12 

Carpet-factory  operatives 44 

Watch-makers — 

Button-hole  makers 4 

Cloak-makers 26 

Coat-makers 69 

Corset-makers 5 

Dressmakers 418 

Embroidery-workers 9 

Fur-workers 6 

Hat  and  cap  makers 5 

Hoop-skirt  makers 9 

Milliners 37 

Necktie-makers 2 

Pantaloon-makers 34 

Seamstresses 242 

Sewing-machine  operators 3 1 

Shirt-makers 21 

Suspender-makers 4 

Tailoresses 257 

Vest-makers 17 

Cordage-factory  operatives 59 

Cotton-mill  operatives 23 

Medicine-factory  employes 5 

Bakers 5 

Chocolate-makers I 

Confectionery  makers  and  packers  . .  2 

Pickle  and  preserve  factory  employes,  1 1 

Mattress-makers    II 

Upholsterers 4 

Jewellery-makers 2 


1  Not  specified. 


428 


THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 


Nail-makers   19 

Paper-mill  operatives 18 

Photographers 2 

Bookbindery  employes    34 

Compositors  and  printers  (book  and 

job)   9 

Compositors  and  printers  (newspaper),  — 

Lithographers  and  lithograph  printers,  I 

Rubber-clothing  makers 16 

Rubber-factory  operatives 19 

Silk-mill  operatives 10 


Straw-workers — 

Cigar-makers 9 

Tobacco-workers     4 

Apprentices    15 

Scholars  and  students 583 

Children  at  work  and  at  school 10 

Retired 232 

Dependents  (private  support)   349 

At  home 244 

Other  occupations 1,003 

Not  given 551 


THE    HEAVIEST    TAX-PAYERS. 

The  General  Court  at  Boston,  on  May  14,  1634,  enacted  "  that  in 
all  rates  and  public  charges,  the  town  [Boston]  shall  have  respect 
to  levy  every  man  according  to  his  estate,  and  with  consideration  of 
all  other  his  abilities  whatsoever,  and  not  according  to  the  number 
of  his  persons."  Under  the  principle  thus  laid  down,  we  are  gov- 
erned in  our  system  of  taxation  to-day. 

Below  we  give  a  list  of  the  heaviest  tax-payers  among  the  Irish- 
Americans  of  Boston  for  the  year  1889. 


For  the  Year  18S9. 


Alley,  John  R 

Amory,  Thomas  C 

Amory,  Thomas  C,  et  al. 

Bishop,  Robert 

Bishop,  Ellen  E.,  wife  of  Robert  . 

Blake,  Christopher 

Canny,  Patrick 

Casey,  John  T.,  et  al. 

Colby,  Patrick   

Collins,  David   

Collins,  James    

Collins,  James,  &  Co 

Costello,  James  J 

Daley,  John  C,  &  Bro 

Doherty,  Michael,  heirs    

Doherty,  Cornelius  F.  .    

Duff,  William  F 

Foley,  Bernard  and  Andrew,  heirs 

Grant,  Patrick,  et  al. 

Green,  Margaret  and  Mary  A. . . . 


Real  Estate. 


$192,000 
76,000 

193,500 
52,200 
71,100 

108,600 

101,200 
95,800 
84,100 
42,000 

206,400 


156,800 

76,000 

I39,300 

77,000 
121,700 

45.7°° 


Personal 
Estate. 


IOO 

I,000 

8,300 

50,000 

14,000 
8,000 
1,500 

70,000 

500 

13,400 

2,000 

I5,000 

10,000 
106,300 
1 20,000 


Total  Tax. 


$3,204  60 
1,033  80 
2,704  12 
1,369  48 

952  74 
1,644  84 
1,465  28 
1,305  82 
1,128  94 
1,502  80 
2,774  46 

179   56 

2,103  " 
1,049  2° 

1,866  62 
203  00 
1,031  80 
1,766  78 
2,025  4° 
1,608  00 


THE    HEAVIEST    TAX-PAYERS. 


429 


For  the  Year  1SS9. 


Hayes,  Martin,  heirs 

Hyland,  William 

Hyndman,  Eliza 

Tenney,  Bernard  and  Francis  H. . . . 

Keleher,  Timothy 

Kelley,  Thomas,  &  Co 

Kendricken,  Paul  H 

Kendricken,  Paul  H.,  and  Ingalls.  . 

Kenney,  James  \V 

Lamb,  John  

Lee,  James 

Lee,  John  H 

Lee,  John  H.,  &  Co 

Lennon,  Nancy  

Logan,  Lawrence  J 

Logan,  Lawrence  J.,  et  al.,  Trustees 

Lyons,  Capt.  John 

McAleer,  Patrick 

McCormick,  James 

Meehan,  Patrick 

Meehan,  Patrick,  et  al.    

Miller,  John 

Miller,  John,  &  Co 

Moore,  Robert 

Murphy,  Gardner,  et  al. 

Nawn,  Hugh 

Nawn,  Owen     

O'Riordon,  Patrick 

Prendergast,  James  M 

Shea,  John 

Sullivan,  Patrick  F 

Sullivan,  Richard 

Teevan,  James 

Tucker,  James 

Union  Institution  for  Savings 

Wall,  James  H 

Wall,  James  H.,  et  al. 

Walsh,  John  H 

Williams,  John  J.,  Most  Rev.,  Tr. . . 


Real  Estate. 


$2S6,IOO 
79,000 
92,000 
28,300 
90,000 


102,400 
2,700 

130,900 
79,200 
88,500 
86,700 

76,800 

77,700 

37,200 

105,400 

251,300 

87,700 

9I,IOO 

IO,6oo 

123,500 


154,600 

70,  IOO 

82,500 

271,600 

205,400 

8,500 

84,400 

80,600 

41,000 

79,900 

74,600 

433,9°° 

152,400 

62,100 

84,000 

473, 7°° 


Personal 
Estate. 


$50,900 

5,0OO 

80,000 

7,000 

24,800 

25,900 

300 


5,000 
48,000 

l8,200 

4,200 

4,000 

50,000 

10,000 

30,000 
15,400 

I,O0O 
14,000 

8,OO0 
15,000 
10,000 
90,000 

3,5°° 
2,500 

45,000 

19,300 

"800 


14,000 
12,000 


Total  Tax. 


03,833  74 

I,o6o  60 
1,232  80 
1,065  28 
1,275  OO 
1,072  OO 

1,467  96 

368  50 

2,103  12 
1,067  30 
1,187  90 
1,230  78 

643  20 
1,029  12 
1,287  06 

498  48 
1,470  64 
3,425  02 
1,847  l8 

i>356  74 
142  04 

2,058  90 

206  36 

2,087  04 

1,128  94 

1,218  72 

3.842  44 
2,888  36 
1,321  90 
1,179  86 
1,115  84 
1,154  40 
1,072  60 
1,260  26 
5,814  26 
2,054  88 
832  14 
1,315  20 
6,510  38 


APPENDICES. 


AN  IRISHMAN'S  LETTER  TO  GOVERNOR  GARDNER. 


THE  following  patriotic  letter  was  written  by  James  Boyd,  and  it 
was  published  in  "  The  Atlas,"  a  Boston  daily  paper,  on  Mon- 
day morning,  Jan.  22,  1855.  The  opportunity  for  placing  it  on  his- 
torical record  seems  to  have  been  reserved  for  this  work.  Then,  as 
now,  race  prejudice  was  in  high  and  low  places. 

FROM  AN  IRISH    NATURALIZED   CITIZEN. 

To  His  Excellency  Governor  Gardner:  — 

The  message  which  Your  Excellency  has  promulgated,  on 
accepting  the  inaugural  oath  of  office,  is  a  document  of  most  serious 
importance  to  the  whole  community  of  Massachusetts,  and  especially 
so  to  a  class  of  which  the  writer  of  this  is  an  humble  member. 

To  the  foreign-born  portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  State,  their 
tendencies,  relations,  and  conditions,  you  have  devoted  nearly  half,  I 
think,  of  the  address  ;  and  to  this  portion  of  it  the  remarks  which  I 
propose  to  submit  will  be  exclusively  devoted.  As  these  remarks  in 
general  will  be  opposed  to  a  portion  of  yours,  but  not  to  all  by  any 
means,  it  is  but  fair  in  the  outset  to  state  how  much  and  how  far  I 
approve. 

Your  statistics  concerning  the  proportion  which  foreigners  bear 
to  natives  in  the  pauperism,  beggary,  and  crimes  within  the  State,  I 
take  to  be  correct,  because  access  to  the  truth  is  within  your  reach, 
and  I  have  no  doubt  you  availed  of  it.  The  conclusions  which  you 
arrive  at  from  these  facts  —  namely,  that  the  "  people  demand  of  their 
statesmen,  and  wise  statesmanship  suggests,  that  national  and  State 
legislation  should  interfere  to  direct,  ameliorate,  and  control  these 
elements,  so  far  as  it  may  be  done  within  the  limits  of  the  Constitu- 
tion "  —  I  join  in  unreservedly. 

(433) 


434  THE    IRISH  IN   BOSTON. 

In  the  list  which  you  give  of  the  work  to  be  done  by  national 
and  State  legislation,  to  neutralize  and  prevent  the  evil  tendencies 
arising  from  the  excessive  immigration  of  foreigners  into  the  country, 
there  are  many  items  which  have  my  decided  approval.  For  in- 
stance :  "  To  discourage  imported  political  demagogues,  whose 
trade  here  is  to  put  themselves  at  the  head  of  their  deluded  country- 
men—  to  organize  prejudice,  to  vitalize  foreign  feeling  and  morbid 
passion,  and  then  sell  themselves  to  the  highest  partisan  bidder;"  to 
purify  and  ennoble  the  elective  franchise;  to  adopt  a  carefully 
guarded  check-list  throughout  the  nation ;  "  to  cultivate  a  living  and 
energetic  nationality ;  "  to  develop  a  high  and  vital  patriotism ;  "  to 
retain  the  Bible  in  our  common  schools ;  "  to  keep  entire  the  sepa- 
ration of  Church  and  State;  "to  nationalize  before  we  naturalize, 
and  to  educate  before  either;"  to  guard  against  citizenship  becoming 
cheap,  —  in  all  these  items  from  your  list,  which  you  characterize 
"  as  ranking  with  the  great  movements  that  originally  formed 
nations,"  I  would  most  heartily  join  you  in  recommending  to  the 
earnest  notice  of  the  Legislature,  and  rejoice  in  a  success  equal  to 
your  highest  wishes. 

Again  you  say,  "  When  we  witness  the  profuse  liberality  with 
which  the  sacred  right  of  citizenship  is  bestowed  among  us,  the 
slender  guards  that  exist  against  its  unworthy  or  fraudulent  gift,  and 
the  great  interests  in  the  hands  of  those  who  receive  it,  as  well  as 
those  who  grant  it,  we  should  pause  and  calmly  consider  the  possible 
Consequences."  By  all  means,  say  I,  not  only  "  pause  and  calmly 
consider  the  possible  consequences,"  but  call  into  action  the  best 
statesmanship  in  the  country,  not  only  to  repair  and  strengthen 
the  "  slender  guards  that  exist,"  but  to  erect  barriers  which 
neither  foreign  nor  native  demagogues  could  break  down  or  crawl 
through. 

I  could  quote  much  more  from  your  address  which  has  my 
hearty  approval,  and  may  hereafter  notice  some  such  passages ;  but 
enough  has  been  quoted  now  to  give  you  an  insight  to  this  branch 
of  my  political  creed.  This  being  noted,  I  will  now  endeavor  to 
arrange  a  few  thoughts  elicited  by  the  recommendations  you  submit 


APPENDICES.  435 

for  the  treatment  of  the  deplorable  disease  which  the  body  politic  is 
laboring  under.  One  of  the  means  proposed  is  in  the  following 
words  :  "  I  recommend,  therefore,  an  amendment  to  our  Constitution, 
prohibiting  the  exercise  of  the  elective  franchise  to  all  of  alien  birth, 
qualified  by  naturalization,  till  they  have  resided  within  the  United 
States  twenty-one  years."  Such  recommendation,  I  respectfully 
submit  to  Your  Excellency,  is  not  "wise  statesmanship."  In  Massa- 
chusetts, such  an  organic  or  statute  law  can  do  no  good,  and  it  cer- 
tainly would  do  much  evil.  It  is  not  amongst  the  exigencies  of  the 
times.  Had  you  set  your  limits  at  a  five  years'  residence,  the  time 
required  by  the  existing  United  States  laws,  no  fault  could  be  found. 
You  could  thereby  cut  off  all  who  have  within  that  time  obtained 
their  papers  by  false  representations,  and  public  opinion  says  there 
are  many  such.  But  your  sweeping  recommendation,  involving  as 
the  victims  of  the  amendments  you  ask  for  thousands  within  the 
State  whose  rights  of  citizenship  are  as  legal,  as  sacred,  and  as 
precious  to  them  as  yours  are  to  yourself,  —  an  amendment  which 
would  equally  stigmatize  the  honest  and  the  dishonest,  cannot, 
in  any  shape  I  can  view  it  in,  be  taken  as  an  act  of  "  wise  states- 
manship." 

The  rights  given  and  obtained  by  legal  and  fairly  sought  and 
granted  naturalization,  I  have  called  as  sacred  as  those  obtained  by 
native  birth.  They  are  in  some  respects  more  so ;  the  one  being  the 
result  of  individual  judgment  and  choice,  after  mature  deliberation; 
the  other,  an  accident  or  occurrence  entirely  beyond  the  control  or 
direction  of  the  individual ;  the  first  the  consummation  of  a  straight- 
forward, regular  bargain,  consisting  of  "  value  received  "  on  both 
sides,  the  United  States  of  America  being  the  proposing  party  on  the 
one  part,  and  the  individual  foreigner,  becoming  a  naturalized  citizen 
in  accordance  with  the  existing  laws,  the  accepting  party  of  the  other 
part.  The  United  States  blazon  over  the  whole  civilized  world  that 
their  country  is  "  an  asylum  for  all,  a  home  for  the  free."  The  terms 
of  obtaining  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  native-born  citizens  (ex- 
cept that  of  being  eligible  to  the  office  of  President)  are  familiar  to  all 
moderately  educated  immigrants  who  arrive  here  from  Europe.     To 


436  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

avail  of  this  universally  proclaimed  offer  on  the  part  of  the  American 
people  and  Government,  individuals  and  families  break  up  their 
homes,  and  leave  them  with  grief  and  regret,  in  which  you,  sir, 
happily  for  yourself,  cannot  in  any  measure  sympathize,  because  you 
have  not  realized  it  personally.  These  individuals  come  with  full 
faith  in  the  sincerity  and  honesty  of  the  offers  held  out.  .They  per- 
form in  good  faith  the  part  stipulated  for  them  by  the  proposing 
party.  In  due  time  that  proposing  party  fulfils  in  good  faith  the 
part  it  has  promised.  The  contract  is  fairly  entered  into  and  fairly 
consummated  by  both.  The  State  gains  a  new  citizen,  and  the 
foreign  individual  becomes  possessed  legally  and  fairly  of  all  the 
political  rights  of  the  native  born,  with  the  solitary  exception 
named. 

Thus,  sir,  is  created  the  present  condition  of  thousands  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  State,  —  thousands  who,  under  the  operation  of  your 
"wise  statesmanship,"  you  would  disfranchise  and  degrade.  I  would 
be  respectful  with  Your  Excellency,  but  the  mantle  of  the  office 
which  you  hold  is  not  sufficient  to  cover  or  protect  you  from  the 
natural  indignation,  the  loathful  feeling,  which  must  arise  in  the 
bosoms  of  the  victims  aimed  at,  against  any  man  in  your  position, 
who  would  deliberately  make  such  a  recommendation  to  the  Legisla- 
ture of  Massachusetts.  Why  not  recommend  that  the  class  you  name 
shall  have  their  property  confiscated?  They  hold  it  by  no  better 
claim  than  they  hold  those  rights  you  would  take  away ;  it  is  but  the 
forcible  deprivation  of  property,  in  either  case,  and  it  will  require 
more  sound  logic  than  your  address  contains  to  show  less  moral 
guilt  in  the  one  operation  than  there  would  be  in  the  other. 

You  say  the  "  honor  of  the  American  flag  should  be  confided 
only  to  those  who  are  born  on  the  soil,  hallowed  by  its  protection ; 
they  alone  can  justly  be  required  to  vindicate  its  rights.  One  of  my 
earliest  official  acts,  then,  will  be,  if  sanctioned  by  the  Executive 
Council,  to  disband  all  military  companies  composed  of  persons  of 
foreign  birth."  And  this  is  another  of  the  ingredients  suggested  by 
your  statesmanship,  "  wisely  to  control  the  mingling  of  races  into  one 
nationality."     Your  assumption  that  the  honor  of  the  American  flag 


APPENDICES.  437 

should  be  confided  only  to  native-born  citizens  is  simply  ridiculous. 
If  not,  the  wisdom  of  the  founders  of  the  Republic  and  of  the  rulers 
of  the  nation,  from  Washington  down  to  the  present  day,  has  been 
absolute  folly  when  compared  with  the  statesmanship  and  light  of 
wisdom  now  shed  upon  the  world  through  the  Governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts. 

There  has  been  ample  experience,  sir,  in  the  history  of  three- 
quarters  of  a  century,  in  the  practice  of  all  the  individual  States,  as 
well  as  of  the  United  States,  in  testing  this  very  question ;  and  unless 
you  can  show  me  from  this  experience  that  Irishmen,  as  a  class,  have 
been  unworthy  of  having  confided  to  them  the  trust  of  sustaining  the 
honor  of  the  American  flag,  and  show  me  that  they  have  been  traitors 
to  that  holy  trust,  when  so  relied  upon  by  their  adopted  country,  you 
must  be  expected  to  retract  the  assumption  and  the  assertion  made, 
or  submit  to  be  told,  as  you  certainly  will  be,  that  you  have  uttered  a 
base  calumny,  —  a  calumny  on  which  you  have  built  up  an  otherwise 
baseless  fabric ;  and  on  this  structure  without  foundation,  tried  to 
find  an  apology  and  excuse  for  an  act  which  can  find  no  precedent 
in  those  of  the  governor  of  any  State  in  this  wide  Republic.  The 
only  assimilating  character  which  comes  near  it  is  that  of  a  ukase  of 
the  Autocrat  of  Russia.  I  claim  not  for  Irishmen  any  extra  loyalty, 
or  the  possession  of  any  claims  superior  to  others ;  but  I  do  claim  for 
them  an  equality  which  entitles  them  to  a  common  share  in  all  the 
duties,  labors,  and  pecuniary  support  of  the  Republic,  and  such  share 
of  its  honors  as  individual  merit  may  entitle  them  to  —  no  more. 
When  they  have  obtained  the  rights  of  citizenship  legally,  you  have 
no  right  to  single  them  out  as  a  class  to  be  proscribed  —  in  whose 
hands  it  is  unsafe  to  leave  the  arms  and  accoutrements  of  the  State, 
and  to  whom  the  paltry  compensation  doled  out  by  the  State  to  the 
uniformed  militia  should  not  be  paid.  True,  as  a  salve  for  this  polit- 
ical laceration,  you  recommend  that  they  be  exempt  from  military 
duty.  A  great  boon,  certainly,  when  there  is  no  military  duty  re- 
quired of  any  one,  except  that  which  is  voluntary. 

Your  education,  sir,  has  been  of  too  liberal  a  character  to  per- 
mit the   idea  to  be  entertained    for  a  moment  that  you  wrote    in 


438  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

ignorance  when  the  portion  of  your  address  last  noticed  was  put 
upon  paper.  And  supposing  that  the  "  Declaration  of  Rights," 
which  the  people  of  Massachusetts  have  seen  fit  to  place  in  front  of 
their  Constitution,  is  familiar  to  you  as  the  letters  of  the  alphabet, 
and  that  you  must  have  noticed  especially  the  first,  fourth,  tenth, 
seventeenth,  twenty-seventh,  and  twenty-eighth  articles  thereof,  it  is 
difficult  to  reconcile  the  doctrine  you  set  forth  and  the  practice  you 
recommend  with  wise  statesmanship  and  honesty  of  purpose.  That 
document  makes  no  distinction  amongst  the  "  people,"  whether  they 
are  native  or  foreign. 

Though  I  thus  consider  the  doctrine  of  your  message  as  un- 
tenable, unwise,  and  very  bad  statesmanship,  yet,  sir,  on  the  naked 
question  of  the  propriety  or  impropriety  of  organizing  and  sustaining 
distinct  military  companies  of  persons  of  foreign  birth,  I  have  always 
been  opposed  to  such  organization ;  and  as  long  ago  as  the  time  of 
the  first  petition  being  sent  in  for  a  charter  for  the  Montgomery 
Guards,  my  humble  opinion  was  asked  for  by  some  of  the  movers, 
and  my  advice  was  decided  and  unequivocal,  that  no  such  organiza- 
tion should  be  desired  by  the  young  men  themselves  in  the  first 
place,  and  that  no  such  liberty  should  be  granted  by  the  com- 
mander-in-chief, if  it  was  asked  for.  Other  counsels,  however, 
prevailed,  and  the  mortifying  results  which  had  been  foretold  very 
soon  overtook  that  unfortunate  company.  It  is  true  it  was  dis- 
banded by  Governor  Everett,  but  not  in  that  summary  manner  you 
recommend,  nor  for  any  of  the  reasons  you  give.  He  did  it  with 
great  reluctance,  and  after  various  other  means,  all  honorable,  had 
been  attempted  unsuccessfully,  in  endeavoring  to  get  over  the  exist- 
ing trouble,  —  a  trouble  which  originated  in  the  insubordination 
of  some  of  the  native  companies,  and  not  with  the  "  Guards." 
No  charge  was  brought  by  him  or  his  Council  against  Irishmen 
indiscriminately,  by  asserting  as  an  axiom  that  which  is  uncon- 
stitutional, as  well  as  inexpedient  and  unwise,  "  that  the  honor  of 
the  American  flag  should  be  confided  only  to  the  hands  of  those 
who  were  native  born."  He  did  not  manufacture  an  excuse  by 
insulting   and    trying  to    degrade    a   class    in    the    community  who 


APPENDICES.  439 

yield  to  none  in  their  attachment,  devotion,  and  zealous  support 
of  the  United  States  and  its  Constitution  and  laws.  His  course 
was  one  of  honesty  and  of  a  republican  character;  I  complain 
of  that  which  you  recommend,  because  it  seems  to  me  decidedly 
otherwise. 

After  the  experience  which  the  members  of  the  Montgomery 
Guards  had,  it  was  hoped  that  no  effort  would  again  be  made  in  this 
Commonwealth  to  organize  and  incorporate  another  militia  company 
of  persons  of  foreign  birth ;  but  time  ran  on,  a  younger  generation 
came  up,  organization  was  asked  for  in  the  usual  way  by  citizens 
respectable  and  responsible,  and  the  nativity  of  every  member  on 
the  lists  presented  was  probably  not  thought  a  subject  of  necessary 
inquiry,  and  the  organizations  were  regularly  granted  by  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Council  of  the  time  being. 

Under  some  of  these  grants,  companies  grew  up  of  young  men, 
principally,  though  not  all,  of  Irish  birth.  I  regretted  to  see  it,  be- 
cause I  knew  it  would  not  be  so  beneficial  to  themselves  individually, 
as  it  would  be  to  amalgamate  and  mix  in  the  ranks  with  native-born, 
comrades  of  their  own  age  and  standing.  This  view,  however,  if 
ever  considered  at  all  by  any  of  them,  was  overbalanced  by  some- 
thing else,  and  conscious  of  good  purposes  only  on  their  own  part,, 
their  drills  commenced,  and  in  due  time  their  public  appearances, 
came  round.  Their  first  turnouts  were  favorably  received  and! 
noticed  by  their  superior  officers,  regimental,  brigade,  and  division.. 
Occasions  came  up  of  a  most  trying  character,  and  musters  ensued ;; 
all  of  which  brought  every  company  and  every  member  closely  under 
the  public  gaze  and  scrutiny.  These  ordeals  were  all  passed  cred- 
itably and  honorably  to  the  Irish  companies,  as  they  have  popularly 
been  called,  and  the  voice  of  commendation  to  all  the  troops,  from 
sources  of  the  highest  authority,  made  no  invidious  distinction,  nor 
uttered  any  apprehension  or  fear  that  the  honor  of  the  American  flag 
would  not  be  sustained  in  the  hands  of  Irish  as  well  as  native-born 
soldiers.  Public  opinion  was  casting  off  gradually  its  old  prejudices. 
The  aggregate  mind  of  the  respective  companies  was  proven  to  be, 
as  it  always  had  been,  true  and  loyal  to  the  laws  of  the  land ;   and 


440  THE    IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

friends  of  good  order  saw  as  much  to  hope  from  and  as  little  to  fear 
from  the  existing  state  of  the  Massachusetts  militia,  as  ever  had  been 
entertained  at  any  former  period. 

Under  this  state  of  things,  Your  Excellency  was  elected  to  office, 
and  under  this  state  of  things  you  wrote  your  first  address.  Now, 
sir,  I  would  respectfully  ask  you,  is  that  address  wisely  considered, 
and  does  it  contain  the  best  advice  which  could  be  placed  before  the 
Massachusetts  Legislature,  to  lead  them  in  aiding  the  Executive 
"wisely  to  control  the  mingling  of  races  into  one  nationality,"  or  is 
its  remote  and  secret  drift  of  a  far  different  intention  and  tendency? 

Since  the  writing  of  this  article  was  commenced,  the  report  of 
the  committee  of  Council,  and  your  order  thereon  as  commander-in- 
chief,  disbanding  the  militia  companies  therein  named,  has  been  pro- 
mulgated from  headquarters.  These  documents  very  ingeniously 
greatly  extend  the  sphere  of  proscription  marked  out  in  the  address. 
Four  brief  words  add  thousands  to  its  victims.  They  confirm  in  my 
mind  a  certain  purpose  on  the  part  of  the  present  State  Government, 
which  previously  I  could  only  suspect  to  be  shadowed  forth  in  Your 
Excellency's  address.  The  words  "  or  of  foreign  extraction,"  intro- 
duced as  they  are,  read  to  me  with  a  fearful  import. 

When  the  policy  intended  to  be  pursued  by  the  Governor  and 
Council  towards  the  volunteer  militia  of  the  State  comes  to  be  a 
little  further  developed,  I  think  many  will  turn  back  in  their  memory, 
and  bring  forward  the  general  popular  impression  which  the  conduct 
of  the  Boston  companies  inspired,  as  individual  companies,  during 
the  trying  and  perilous  passage  of  the  "  Burns  Riots,"  so  called.  The 
lovers  of  law  and  order  set  no  bounds  to  their  praise  of,  and  gratitude 
to,  all  and  every  company  called  out  on  that  occasion,  with  one  single 
unfortunate  exception,  and  that  exception  was  not  found  amongst 
the  Irish  companies.  On  the  night  when  that  riot  first  broke  out, 
and  when  Mr.  Batchelder,  the  police  officer,  was  killed,  the  Columbian 
Artillery,  one  of  those  companies  now  disbanded  by  Your  Excellency, 
was  the  first  called  upon  to  assist  the  city  authorities.  They  obeyed 
with  full  ranks  promptly,  did  all  that  men  and  soldiers  could  do,  and 
successfully  prevented  further  bloodshed. 


APPENDICES.  441 

The  Irish  companies,  on  that  memorable  occasion,  got  quite  as 
much  popular  praise  for  their  uniform  good  conduct  and  steady, 
soldier-like  bearing,  as  any  of  the  old-established  companies;  and  it 
is  certain  that  the  division  and  field  officers  did  not,  in  their  disposi- 
tion and  arrangement  of  the  troops,  place  those  companies  away  from 
the  points  of  danger  or  of  honor.  The  fact  is,  they  were  invariably 
held  to  be  exceedingly  reliable  through  those  perilous  days.  May 
not  that  constitute  their  crime  now? 

Having  thus  given  my  views  concerning  the  tendencies  and 
effects  of  some  of  the  recommendations  contained  in  the  address,  as 
applicable  to  naturalized  citizens  generally,  and  to  a  portion  of  the 
volunteer  militia  particularly,  I  will  defer  to  another  paper  some 
thoughts  entertained  on  the  naturalization  laws  as  they  exist,  as 
Your  Excellency  recommends  in  your  address  they  should  exist,  and 
as  the  individual  who  has  submitted  the  foregoing  thinks  they  ought 
to  be,  basing  his  humble  opinion  and  judgment  on  personal  obser- 
vation and  experience  in  Massachusetts  of  more  than  twenty-one 
years. 


THE   NINTH  MASSACHUSETTS   REGIMENT. 

Its  history  in  brief  is  shown  by  the  following  list  of  engagements, 
in  which,  during  its  term  of  service,  it  participated :  — 

Hall's  Hill,  Va.,  Sept.  18,  1861. 

Vienna,  Va.,  Feb.  14,  1862. 

Drainsville,  Va.,  Feb.  20,  1862. 

Bethel,  Va.,  March  30,  1862. 

Yorktown,  Va.,  April  5,  1862. 

Siege  of  Yorktown,  Va.,  April  5  to  May  4,  1862 

West  Point,  Va.,  May  7,  1862. 

New  Bridge,  Va.,  May  24,  1862. 

Hanover  Court-house,  Va.,  May  27,  1862 

Mechanicsville,  Va.,  June  26,  1862. 


442  THE   IRISH  IN  BOSTON. 

Gaines's  Mill,  Va.,  June  27,  1862. 
White  Oak  Swamp,  Va.,  June  29,  1862. 
Malvern  Hill,  Va.,  July  1,  1862. 
Manassas,  Va.,  August  29,  30,  1862. 
Chantilly,  Va.,  September  1,  1862. 
South  Mountain,  Md.,  September  14,  15,  16,  1862. 
Antietam,  Md.,  September  17,  18,  1862. 
Sharpsburg,  Md.,  September  19,  1862. 
Boettler's  Mill,  Md.,  September  20,  1862. 
Sheppardstown,  Md.,  September  25,  1862. 
Morrisville,  Va.,  December  30,  1862. 
Fredericksburg,  Va.,  December  13,  14,  1862. 
Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  4,  5,  1863. 
Ellis's  Ford,  June  1,  1863. 
Brandy  Station,  June  9,  1863. 
Aldie  Gap,  June  21,  1863. 
Gettysburg,  July  2,  3,  4,  1863. 
Wapping  Heights,  July  23,  1863. 
Culpepper,  October  12,  13,  1863. 
Bristow  Station,  October  14,  1863;  April  15,  1864. 
Rappahannock  Station,  August  20,  23,  1862  ;  August  1,  2,  1863  ; 
November  7,  1863. 

Locust  Grove,  November  26,  27,  28,  1863. 

Mine  Run,  Va.,  November  29,  30,  December  2,  1863. 

Liberty,  Va.,  January  13,  1864. 

Wilderness,  May  5,  6,  7,  1864. 

Laurel  Hill,  May  8,  1864. 

Po  River,  May  10,  1864. 

Spottsylvania,  May  12,  1864. 

North  Anna,  May  23,  1864. 

Shady  Oak,  May  27,  1864. 

Tolopotomy  Swamp,  May  30,  31,  1864. 

Bethesda  Church,  June  3,  1864. 

Cold  Harbor,  June  5,  1864. 


/ 


APPENDICES. 


443 


CASUALTIES   IN   THE    REGIMENT. 


Officers     . 

Non-com.  staff  and  band 
Company  A     . 
Company  B 
Company  C     . 
Company  D     . 
Company  E 
Company  F 
Company  G     . 
Company  H    . 
Company  I 
Company  K     . 


Killed 
or  died. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

18 

26 

44 

4 

4 

32 

69 

IOI 

24 

52 

76 

17 

61 

73 

21 

60 

81 

25 

55 

80 

21 

63 

84 

26 

47 

73 

22 

52 

74 

24 

74 

98 

20 

50 

70 

Total 


250       613       863 


TE 


DOES  NOT  CIRCULATE 


BOSTON  COLLEGE 


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155L81 


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